What's in a Family?
by Meanjojo
Summary: Family. A word that is familiar to everyone, yet many have a hard time understanding what it truly means. This is true for a certain girl named Amber, a girl that really couldn't experience one due to her power. So, what if one day she met a certain man who perhaps knows that family is not tied to blood, but by choice. A man that seems to be a bit of an enigma himself.
1. Chapter 1

Amber has no idea why she decided to take a small stop near an orphanage, but somehow she found herself inside of it. She actually didn't pay attention to the sign that told whom it belonged to. Maybe it was a way for fate to tell her that she should be here? After all she was chosen to harbor great powers, even if she didn't want it.

Amber truly wanted to believe that notions such as fate and destiny were just notions that people used to rationalize the unknown, but the more she learned, the more she grew, the more she believed the two ideas were reality and that she could do absolutely nothing to change it. No matter how many times she denies it, someone will always bring up the fact that she was chosen.

They told her she was destined to do great things… but why does she want to deny it? Perhaps to show that being destined to do something is just a lie that can be easily broken? Perhaps she wants to prove that she can't do great things? Perhaps she doesn't want to bear the burden of doing these things?

It was her _responsibility_ to do it. Yet, she wanted to run away from it. However, she doesn't want to run either. Either face your duties, or run away from them. There is no inbetween.

When she entered the orphanage it was a rather strange sight. There were remnants of old furniture that have been remove, shadows of picture frames, in the back there was just a desk that has recently removed some items. It would give off the impression of the place being recently abandoned, if it weren't for the fact that one thing was out of place.

In the middle of the room there was a bunny ear faunus, with an orange dress, who silently read a book, there was some knitting tools around her and some dolls. For a moment Amber saw herself sitting there, all alone with no one to call friends, reading a book to have the days simply fly by.

'It must be lonely for the girl to be all alone.'

She couldn't have friends. Not with this power that has been bestowed upon her. No one told her she couldn't, she simply bestowed it upon herself. That way she wouldn't hurt anyone if her emotions ever go out of control. Amber pulled her green cloak ever tight. Yes, she must be careful. Though, it wouldn't have hurt have one friend. Her so called benefactors don't count.

She didn't realize that she was staring at the girl for a little while now. Lost in her own thought, she wondered what it would be like to have a _family_. A normal one that didn't try to hide her from the world, one that would scold her when she got in trouble, one that would always be there for her, one that loved her. Any semblance of that is gone, specifically due to her power.

"She's already been adopted." A voice startled her. She didn't jump, but she turned her head to see a man in a white sweater, brown eyes, light brown hair, and a seemingly nice pair of black trousers. If one were to look closer they could see a tattoo of chains on both his wrists, to which Amber could easily see them. It reminded her of her situation just a bit.

"I…wasn't looking to adopt anyway." She looked towards the ground, trying to avoid eye contact.

"Something the matter?"

Amber shook her head, "It's nothing. Nothing that you sh-" She stopped herself she didn't like that she was lying. Not because it's to a stranger, but because… because… she feels like she's lying to herself in the end. No matter what she thinks.

She shifted the conversation abruptly, "What happened here?"

The man didn't question her change in topic, instead he took a glace around the orphanage, "My job here is done."

Amber also followed his gaze around the orphanage, she could imagine this place was filled with children and accessories, then they slowly disappeared one by one until there was one left. The place would get lonely over time. However, the man's expression told a different story. It wasn't one of loneliness, but one of pride.

"It must be lonely now."

The man shook his head. Amber left it at that, not questioning his reason. It was in kind to him ignoring her shift in topic.

"Do you know what the purpose of an orphanage is?" The man asked her.

"To take in children to be adopted?" Amber only knew the generalization of it.

The man took shifted his gaze towards the child on the floor, "It is to give children what they were denied. It gives them a chance, to learn, to love." The man spoke as if he was paraphrasing.

"To have a family." Amber spoke, the words hitting close to home.

"Mr. B. Mr. B!" The faunus jumped in excitement, holding a doll in her hands. It resembled the man pretty well. She handed it to the man, who accepted it gracefully.

"Thank you for taking care of me. I won't forget about you." The bunny smiled as the man ruffled her hair.

However, that wasn't the end of her surprise. The girl suddenly shifted her attention to Amber and presented a doll.. of Amber.

"For me?"

The girl nodded, placing the doll of Amber in Amber's hands. She quickly retreated back towards her previous spot to continue reading her book.

Amber stared at the doll that represented herself. She vaguely remembers going playing with dolls before, but that was overshadowed by her remembrance of her great powers. However, she closed her hand into a fist. She'll cherish this item. Simple and straightforward. She'll cherish it no matter what anyone says. A single tear rolled down her cheek.

The man pulled up two chairs, both of them facing the child. He tapped the one right next to him to get Amber out of her funk. She sat down in the chair and began to fiddle a little with the doll she was given.

"Carrot was one of the first one's here, now the last one out. She always loved making dolls of people." The man told Amber. Short and to the point his statement was.

Amber wordlessly nodded, clearly thinking about something else. The man didn't budge, there's no need to force answers out of people.

Amber looked towards the ground, avoiding any sort of eye contact, "Do you think that there are things such as destiny and fate?" Amber couldn't stop herself for some reason, she didn't need to dump her problems on this man, but she found herself doing so.

The man shook his head after a few long seconds.

"I see. I.. didn't believe in the concepts for a long while now, but the more I learn, the more I start to believe it to be true." She could stop herself now, leave before she divulged any sensitive information to a stranger… Yet, she was somewhat at ease with the man.

The man didn't show any obvious reaction, just a slow nod to show that he was paying attention.

"I'm destined for greatness they said. That my choices and actions will affect the world as a whole, but I must-" Amber stopped herself from going any further.

What was she doing? She was going to risk telling a complete stranger about her power. Maybe it's all the stress? Maybe it would be her way of rebelling. Yet, as of now she stopped. She once again found her eyes wandering towards the man's wrists. A tattoos of chains, that what befitted her situation. It probably would look natural on her wrists.

The man suddenly stood up, making Amber think he was done listening to her. In actuality he stood as soon as the door opened a man and a woman came in. Carrot quickly ran up to them, her items in her arms. Two humans were adopting a faunus. Amber noted the strange occurrence, not something one sees everyday.

There was a quick exchange of words between the couple and the man. The exchange would end as Carrot hugged the man.

"Thank you, Mr. Bubbles."

The man simply returned the hug, providing a gleaning smile towards the young girl.

Amber couldn't help it, but she felt a pang of sorrow resound throughout her being… she must control her emotions. She has to or else people will get hurt. How sweet it would be to be as innocent as this girl… No. That would be selfish of her, to shunt her responsibilities. Whether she liked it or not, this was her burden to bear.

The exchange ended as Carrot left with her new parents. Now it was just Amber and the man.. Mr. Bubbles?

The man then took his chair towards the back, to which Amber followed. He quickly placed it behind the counter, grabbed Amber's chair doing the same, and finally grabbed a backpack that was hidden from sight.

No words were exchanged as the two exited out of the old orphanage. The man made sure to flip the sign to closed. A needless effort as there was a foreclosure sign right next to it.

Amber supposed that this was the time to part ways. She didn't have the luxury of waiting around, she needed to get someplace… Yet, she was ever so reluctant to do so, "I have someplace to be."

She didn't know why she needed to announce it to the man. Perhaps.. perhaps it was a plea for someone to stop her? For someone to notice a small bit of her plight. All he needed to do was say something to stop her.

"You have time for one drink?" He was blunt in his request.

She rather quickly nodded in affirmation. She just needed to get there, it didn't matter how fast. At least that's what she interpreted the orders to be.

Mr. Bubbles motioned for Amber to follow. She slowly walked behind him, towards a place a couple of blocks down the orphanage. Once again she didn't bother to read the sign as the two entered a place that looked like a bar.

The bartender seemed to perk up seeing the man enter, "Welcome back Jack. Carrot's foster parents must've swung by."

The man now known as Jack nodded in affirmation. Heading straight towards the bar, followed by Amber.

Jack Bubbles. It was kind of a funny name to Amber, but she didn't giggle as it was his name. She didn't want to be completely rude to him. Though… the bartender seemed to treat him as a regular. Did an alcoholic take care of- No. That would be rude of her to assume such things. The child looked very happy after all.

The bartender noticed the girl following Jack, "Ah, picked up a girl of your own? You know Jack, she's looks a bit too young."

Amber stopped for a second, she actually blushed for a solid second there. It quickly faded when the bartender bursted out laughing.

"I kid, I kid. You're not the first woman who's had troubles come in with Jack. Now don't get me wrong. He doesn't take advantage of them, just get them back on their feet. Even if he doesn't utter a single word."

Amber placed herself on the barstool right next to Jack's. The bartender was quick to give him a bottle of beer.

"What would you like Lass?"

"I don't drink alcohol." A lot of bad things could happen if she ended up drunk. Plus she hates the taste of it.

"Strawberry Soda comin right up."

"I thought this was a bar?"

"No, Lass. It's a pub, a very big difference."

To be fair she thought they were the same thing, "I don't have much money." She should be mostly saving it.

"Jack'll take care of it. Now before you open your mouth again have some Strawberry Soda." The bartender presented the soda. Throughout their exchange he filled up the glass, with Jack taking a few sips of beer.

Amber took a cursory glance at Jack, who placed some lien on the bar and gave a glance of approval towards Amber.

She took just a sip of the soda. And another one. Another. A lot more this time. Before she realized it she drank three-fourths of the whole thing. She placed it down on the table.

"Go ahead, sodas get free refills." Jack was the one to inform Amber.

She immediately chugged the rest of the soda and placed it down again for the bartender to fill it back up.

"You looked like you needed a pick-me-up." The bartender chuckled as he filled the glass, "I know a story that usually lifts up one's spirits. It involves Jack here."

Amber raised an eyebrow and took a glance at Jack.

"You can tell her, Berry." Jack named the bartender.

"Didn't even need to ask." Berry gave a sly smile and filled the glass for Amber once again.

"What's the story?" Amber asked Berry as she chugged her drink.

"Well Jack here came to town one day. He just appeared one day with six little girls and decided to open up an orphanage. By day he ran the orphanage, on occasions he would come to this very bar by night. The orphanage started small with just six little girls, plus a faunus named Carrot. Orphans quickly grew in number, expanding his little orphanage. It did take a while until it dwindled down though, until Carrot was all that was left."

Amber finished another glass.

"But that's not what we're focusing on, no. One day a pack of Grimm, Beowolves if I recall, just so happened to decide it was time to wreck some havoc, and havoc they wrecked. I was actually in the orphanage that day, checking up on Jack for no particular reason. When we heard of Grimm attacking we held up in Jack's orphanage. I had a shotgun at the ready and Jack had a revolver. The children were huddled in the corner, but Carrot was missing. That's when we heard a scream, it was Carrot."

Amber loudly gulped her soda, finishing another one.

"You know what happened next? As soon as Jack heard that scream he bolted out of the door, no matter how much I told him not to go out there. It was practically suicide. A man with no huntsman training, no aura, no semblance, and especially no crazy weapon, just bolted out the door upon hearing Carrot's scream. I ran after him of course to see an amazing sight."

Amber stopped drinking as Berry left her hanging.

Berry grew a wicked smile and Jack just kept on drinking his one beer, "Jack was beating the unlucky Beowolf, who dared to threaten Carrot, to death with a fucking Wrench." He swore to emphasize what he was saying.

Amber's eyes widened with her mouth agape.

"That was my exact reaction too. I was just standing there amazed at a man with no aura, nor semblance, just going to town on that Beowolf. He protected that girl as if she was his own daughter. It was like he was on pure paternal instinct right there."

Amber took a glance at Jack, and she wasn't sure if he was trying to hide a smirk. Berry smiled as he's seen plenty of people react like that, it never got old.

"That's not the end of it though. As soon as he took out the one though, its buddies showed up. Now normally a man would run away, but as he demonstrated, Jack was no normal man. Instead of running away Jack gestured for Carrot to run, while he slowly walked up to the remaining pack. It was like something out of an action movie." Berry gestured a bit wildly.

"Bam! He smacked one that tried to immediately rush him and summarily finished it off just as quickly. Another one tried to ambush him, but he quickly shot it dead with his revolver. Now there were about three left and they were done messing around. All three of them jumped him at once, quite literally. He took out one with the remaining bullets in his revolver and dodged the remaining two."

Amber finished another glass.

"He set another one on fire with a dust crystal, at least from my angle I couldn't see it, and bashed the one set aflame. For the last one he just repeatedly bashed its head in with the wrench. Pow! Pow! Pow!" Berry mimicked the gesture he saw that day.

Berry filled the glass once again.

"And that was it. This man with no huntsman training, no aura, no semblance, no statue to his name, took out the Grimm by himself. If I didn't know any better I would've assumed this man here was a huntsman on the downlow. He earned my everlasting respect that day. By the way, we're out of Strawberry Soda."

It would appear that Amber drank him dry. A small sheepish blush appeared on her face. This earned a laugh from Berry. Jack finished his beer.

Amber couldn't help but see Jack in a very heroic light. This man protected a little girl, a faunus at that, as if she was his own daughter. He could've stayed put and protected everyone else, he had no obligation to truly care for the little girl, she was a different species from him, yet he chose to protect her as if she was a part of his family.

She began to wonder what it would be like to have a guardian like Jack, who wasn't afraid to protect her because she was different. Who didn't care if her power was dangerous. Who would protect her even if she beheld dangerous powers. Who would treat her as if she was just a normal person. Who would love her no matter what. Who would treat her like _family_.

Amber smiled wearily, she was never going to get that chance. Not anymore.

Jack stood up.

"I guess it'll be awhile before I see you around here again. Any idea where you'll go?"

Jack gave a genuine smile and shook his head.

"I see. Just remember that you'll always have a place here Jack."

Jack walked out of the pub. He wasn't followed by Amber, but she was ready to make her exit.

"Thank you."

"No, thank Jack. He brought you here to cheer you up after all."

Really? She guess it made some bit of sense, why else would he buy her drink… well drinks technically. It was very thoughtful of the strang- Jack. It was very thoughtful of Jack to do that for her, a stranger.

She was about to leave, but the Berry presented a paper bag with a bottle in it, "I forgot to give Jack this, it's his farewell present. Do you mind giving it to him?"

"Of course." Amber said as she retrieved the paper bag.

"Oh and one more thing." Berry once again stopped Amber, "If you can, ask him the meaning of his tattoos. You'll be in for a surprise."

Amber simply nodded as she left the pub. Now it was her duty to find Jack an- he was just across the street, arms crossed against the wall. Almost as if he was expecting her. She went across the street to deliver the gift.

Jack wordlessly took the gift and slightly lifted the bottle before putting it back in the bag. He nodded as a form of a thank you.

"Thank you for your kindness Jack. It really helped me, a lot more than anyone thinks it did."

"Weren't you heading somewhere?"

In that moment Amber remembered the cruel reality that she was in and her thoughts shifted back to that reality, "Yes." She almost said it somberly.

"Do you mind if I accompany you?"

Everything seemed to stop in that moment. She didn't expect him to utter those words. She was technically obligated to say no. She was supposed to travel alone and a bodyguard would meet her along the way. She wasn't supposed to make any stops, unless it was to rest. Letting in a stranger will only lead to them getting harmed. Right.. Jack was still a stranger. He would probably freak out and demand answers if she ever revealed her powers. Anyone sane person would anyway.

"I would appreciate it." She found herself saying.

Maybe she just wanted the company, no matter how short lived it may be. She's been told that there will always be people that will seek to harm her, for her power. That there are even good people with foul intentions. Maybe she just wanted someone, anyone to stand by her side, even if it was just a little.

"The name's Jack Wynand." Jack introduced himself.

Wynand? It roughly means bold warrior if she was correct. The name somewhat fit from his actions that she heard from the bartender. Hold on.

"I thought it was Bubbles?" Amber questioned the different last name.

"The kids called me that."

"I kind of like Bubbles more." Amber was being a bit honest to Jack. It had a bit of a nice ring to it. Mr. Bubbles. Mr. B. Mr. Jack Bubbles.

"Refer to me however you want to."

She was definitely going to refer to him mostly as Mr. Bubbles. She did honestly like it for some reason.

Yet a realization dawned upon her, "I- never introduced myself, did I?"

Jack shook his head.

Amber could've sworn she hid a small blush. All of that and never did she once introduce herself. And she learned Jack's name through Berry, and Berry's through Jack's. No one really asked for anyone's name really.

"Amber. My name is Amber." She said giving a genuine smile. Perhaps the first one in a very long time.

…...

 **Here we go, something that I was thinking to originally be a short one-shot, but decided I might change it into a full story. This was originally going to end with Amber realizing she was in a memory, slowly dying.**

 **I hope everyone enjoyed it, I'll see you next time when I update.**

 **Have a funny little extra.**

 **…..**

 **Extra/Omake**.

Mr. B was the most feared man in the criminal underworld of Vale. One that not even Roman Torchwick would dare to cross. He would never say why though, it was both out of fear and respect for the man. Apparently it's rumored that he's a single man. A lone man managed to become the most feared man in the criminal underworld without a gang of his own.

It was a shame that his boss and the 'animal' didn't understand. No, not a shame. It was hilarious to think they could go against Mr. B. Now he just needed to fake some worry for them. Their plan was suicidal anyway, presented by the 'animal.'

"It won't work." Torchwick said plain and simple.

"He's just one man. One human man." The 'animal' Adam Taurus told matter of factly.

His plan was to 'rescue' faunus children and have them join the White Fang. Normally Torchwick wouldn't care for it, but he was decisively taking children from Mr. B's territory. He was going to enjoy the beatdown.

"It's your deathwish." He smiled as he lit a cigar.

"Anyone named Mr. Bubbles should not be taken with this much seriousness." Adam said as he left.

"Neo, record his future failure and post it."

Soon after the video titled 'Raging Bull defeated by Bubbles' was posted and quickly grew in popularity.


	2. Chapter 2

Amber clicked the button on Jack's camera. The shutter closed and captured the two riding on the white steed, known as a horse. Sure it was an old fashioned method of travel, but it was a way to not garner too much attention, according to her benefactors.

The picture simply consisted of Amber and Jack looking at the camera with smiles on their faces. Jack was the one controlling the horse, with Amber looking dainty sitting in the back.

They technically had no path in mind, just head towards Vale… at least that's what was told to Amber. She honestly didn't like that she couldn't say anything regarding her powers to Jack, yet he didn't ask any questions. Even if it was for a short time she would like to enjoy the company of Jack, or Mr. Bubbles.

Perhaps it's because he is someone that she actually chose to associate with for once. Someone that wasn't associated with her because of her power, but perhaps because of chance. Isn't that how all people associate, by chance?

The horse simply rode through the heavily forested area they were in. It avoided trees, jumped over fallen logs, and the such.

Amber actually got the camera from Jack's bag he had on him. Well, Jack was the one to pull it out and give it to her.

"Use it to photograph interesting sights. You'll figure it out."

That is exactly what Jack told her, somewhat cryptic, but he probably meant to take a picture of anything that caught her eyes. Though, it would be hard to get a clear shot of anything at the speed of which her mount is going.

….

If one were to look at the man known as Qrow, at first glance they would only see a man who was a drunk. Possibly a guy who thought he was tough shit. Then they would thoroughly be surprised at the fact he was a Huntsman that could kick their ass, drunk or not.

Take a gander at what he was doing right now.

"I didn't expect her to be this late." Qrow took a look at the clock on the wall. There was technically no need to rush, but still one could easily get bored. He supposed he should try and look for her, but who is to say that she won't arrive after he leaves. Ozpin would probably tell him to go find her.

"Expecting a date?" The bartender said as he washed a shot glass.

"More or less." He tapped his hands on the bar to ask for another drink.

"You sure you haven't had enough?"

"I have a high tolerance."

"That's what they all say. I doubt a Huntsman would have a higher tolerance than the average man."

Qrow seemed to have a small smirk appear on his face, "Who's to say I'm not some random drunk?"

"I've seen all sorts of people come to this bar. I know the eyes of an experienced Huntsman." The bartender placed a shot of whiskey in front of Qrow.

"Eyes. It's always the eyes." Qrow muttered as he downed the glass and placed it back on the bar, "I guess I should get going."

He stood up to leave, but a woman in an old style looking dress was sitting in the corner, writing something down. She looked to be about Qrow's age. Now normally this would not be an interesting sight, but Qrow learned how to differentiate the interesting from the non-interesting. And she was high on the interesting margin.

"What's a woman like you doing in a place like this?" He perhaps chose the cheesiest pick-up line imaginable.

"A scientist trying to make good of the world." The woman took a glance at Qrow. She continued to write.

"I guess you're one of those scientists that work well when they're drunk?"

"Perhaps. Or one that is trying to find a purpose after taking care of the little ones."

Qrow was still standing, "A mother trying to find another purpose. Can't say I've seen one of those before." Qrow felt as though he needed to keep a close eye on her… Aw crap. Ozpin is starting to rub off on him. Next thing he knows he'll be keeping tabs on everyone. Like that'll ever happen.

"Tenenbaum. Tenenbaum is my name." The woman continued to scribble down on her paper. To which Qrow couldn't make heads or tails of.

"Qrow." He returned the favor.

As Qrow started to leave, "I doubt this'll be the last time we cross paths."

Qrow chuckled, "Wouldn't you like to know? Hopefully you're not on the wrong side of the fence."

"That'll depend on your choices and actions."

Now Qrow was hoping he didn't stumble upon someone that could match Ozpin's…. tendencies. It's a pain dealing with just one. Always had cryptic messages up his sleeve as if they were pieces of candy.

Speak of the devil and he shall come, Qrow got a message from Ozpin it seems.

'How is everything going?"

Qrow knew it wasn't to check up on him, but he responded in kind, 'Just peachy. You?'

'I know you're trying to mess with me.'

'What gave it away?'

Qrow waited at least a minute. It would appear that Ozpin wasn't giving him the satisfaction of replying, spoilsport.

'She hasn't arrived yet. Still waiting in- who knows where? Just about to leave.' It was just another small town with a bar. He won't be surprised if he managed to drink at all the bars in the world.

'Did you find anything of interest?'

'Not much. Just a woman who caught my eye.'

'You're on duty. Though, I supposed that hasn't stopped you before.'

'You accusing me of being lazy?'

Once again Ozpin didn't give the satisfaction. 'What was the woman's name?'

Qrow knows this joke, it's not like Ozpin did it everytime or anything. It usually goes, 'What's her name? Why? So I can personally apologize for your behavior.'

This time he'll just give a straight answer, 'Tenenbaum.'

'... do you mind staying for a little longer?'

Qrow raised a brow, must be a new joke. 'Why?'

'Get as much info as you can out of Tenenbaum before Amber arrives.'

Qrow noted that he was actually being serious.'

'Why? What's up?'

…..

'I remember her being an important person of interest for Atlas.'

That was the last message Ozpin sent a couple of minutes ago, now he was on the call with General Ironwood. He asked for any files on Tenenbaum.

"Are you absolutely positive that he met Tenenbaum?"

"I doubt Qrow would make up a name like that on the spot. I've heard about this Tenenbaum in passing, but I would like to know more about her. Since it has got you riled up as well."

"After all these years she finally shows herself once again. I wonder why?"

"Do you mind if I ask why she's important?" Yes, there was information that even Ozpin did not know from time to time. Which is why he had to know.

"I'll send you a general report of Tenenbaum. She was one of the best scientific minds in Atlas, even if some of her proposed experiments were… inhuman, as they call it. One day she just packed up and disappeared."

"What was her field of research, James?" Ozpin needed to know.

"She was a researcher in genetic engineering. In essence her job was to figure out how to make super soldiers."

Ozpin noted that he hasn't taken a sip of coffee yet, "A major departure from your current M.O. Why do you need her now?"

"You see, when Tenenbaum departed she didn't just pack up and leave- granted that is a legitimate reason to want her back, she would face severe punishment -she kidnapped several children."

"What has Qrow gotten himself into this time?" Ozpin began to worry for the man's safety. Put two and two together and one comes out with the possibility that Tenenbaum used the children for experimentation. He didn't know if she succeeded or failed, both were equally terrifying.

He still had a document to read as well.

….

Amber held tightly onto Jack, she actually fell asleep earlier. The two were making a steady pace actually. The horse continued to ride on through the heavily forested area.

She was actually in a very nice sleepstate. She was already dreaming of rather obscure things, but all dreams are essentially that. Right now she was simply dreaming of being a carefree child and anything she imagined was real.

But like all good things, it came to an end. A largely abrupt end as Amber found herself and Jack bucked off the horse, to which it ran off in their opposite direction. Amber, as she was forcibly woken up from a dream state, couldn't react in time. Jack already saw that it would not come back anytime soon.

"What happened?" Amber asked as she rubbed her head. The gravity hated everyone.

"Horse was spooked." Jack said.

"Why?"

Jack didn't answer as he reached into his bag and pulled out a wrench. It must've been the wrench that Berry talked about in his story.

His actions said that he intended to find out one way or another.

Amber followed his example as she pulled out a rod looking object that quickly extended to turn into a staff. She's been trained by Huntsmen ever since her powers were discovered. At least 'trusted' ones. It was to ensure that she would be able to defend herself in the case of her inexperience with her powers. On that note they never bothered to teach her how to use her powers. It was something that she would eventually understand, in the meantime she was to never openly use it unless it was an emergency.

Jack actually tapped her shoulder to get her out of her funk. It seems like she was thinking a bit too much…. It reminded her that she needed to be careful around Jack.. for his own safety.

The two slowly moved forward into the thick forest. The horse was perhaps long gone by now, no doubt about it. Nothing eventful happened after a few minutes of trudging about, making Amber wonder what truly spooked the horse.

After a while they managed to get out of the forest and into an open clearing with a dirt road. There was no immediate sign post to point in the direction they needed to go. So they would need to pick a direction. The only choices were left or right.

"Which way should we go?" Amber asked turning to Jack?

Jack didn't answer as he pointed towards the right side of the road. Amber took a glance to where he was pointing, guess they'll go righ- Amber bolted in the direction he was pointing, leaving Jack before he could stop her.

Amber saw a fairly young girl in white on her knees in pain. That's why she bolted towards the right. Jack could have at least said something sooner.

"Are you alright?" Amber couldn't stand seeing others in pain. A good person usually wouldn't either. She knelt down right next to the woman.

The woman didn't answer as she collapsed making Amber's eyes widen. However as soon as she tried to touch the woman, it's like her hand just phased through her. What? Was she seeing a ghost? She started to look a little more transparent.

"Amber!" She heard Jack yell as he pulled her back. A couple of fire arrows landed where she once knelt. Her eyes stood fixated on the arrows that seeked to harm her.

Jack actually pushed Amber behind him as he pulled out a revolver and aimed where the arrows came from. The two stood there frozen and waiting for her assailant to come out of a small patch of woods.

Three figures slowly walked out of the forest. One was a woman wearing a very fiery red dress, another wearing very strange clothing of green namely a top that seemed to protrude her breasts, and the last one was the normal one of the bunch as he wore gray clothing and seemed to have strange metal bracers on his legs.

The three stopped moving and both sides proceeded to stare at one another. A standoff if one wanted to know. Amber had no idea why, but she was drawn to the idea of taking a picture of the three. Call it a hunch, but this felt as though it would be an 'interesting picture.'

She took a quick picture of the three in front of her. This didn't go unnoticed as the one in green seemed to have her eyes widen at that. Or it was a way of saying, 'What type of crazy person takes a picture in the middle of a standoff?'

This seemed to break the silence as the one in the red dress spoke, "Get out our way. Or you'll find yourself as a pile of ashes." She demonstrated her threat by crushing a fire dust crystal in her hands and manipulating the flames that extruded from it with ease.

Amber slowly got out from behind Jack, pulling out her staff. She got into a defensive position.

"What do you want?" Amber questioned the trio in front of them.

"A little something from you. It won't hurt a bit, just come here and we can get this over quick."

Amber has heard about these types of people, but she thought it was just exaggerated in stories. These three were obviously high risk-high reward thieves. The type to attack people in broad daylight. She didn't give them the satisfaction of an answer.

The woman in the red dress sighed and whispered to the two right next to her. The two nodded and the green one pulled out a strange pair of weapons with blade's at the end.

The two immediately set to close the gap between all of them. Jack's immediate reaction was to fire all six of his shots at the man in gray. Now he landed the shots with great precision near his chest area, he just didn't account for the man to have aura.

"Shit." Jack swore as he quickly reloaded just to quickly grab his wrench.

Amber took the immediate initiative after seeing him fire off a few shots. She intended to head for the gray one as well. They could just pick them off one at a time.

The man jumped into the air, aiming a downwards kick at her. In a quick panic Amber tried to jab him with the staff. It would appear that he expected it as he managed to plant his foot on the end of the staff, wrap a leg around the long end, and used whatever strength he had to swing Amber around. He let go of the staff after a second and proceeded to land gracefully on his feet.

Amber hadn't been expecting that. It makes a bit of sense, since she's only ever truly fought against Grimm. Even then her experience is limited to what a full time Huntsman can do. She's only fought her trainers, but that was that training. Here she was in a life or death situation against other humans.

She was disoriented from the spin, but made a quick recovery. It was just in time to block a pair of blades from the green woman. The woman quickly kneed Amber in the stomach, her aura protected her, but she still stumbled a little. The woman gave a ghost of a smirk and proceed to spin the both of them around, shove Amber back, and fired a few shots from her strange weapon to weaken her aura just a bit. She then proceeded to run in the opposite direction towards Jack.

"It's just you and me now." Amber turned to see the red dressed woman with a wicked smile. Flames seemingly ingrained into her dress and floating all around her. This also made Amber realize that they wanted to isolate her from Jack. This was going to be an endeavor.

Jack took a mighty swing with his wrench, to which the gray man dodged. He prepared to block the woman's blades, then immediately threw her off him. He could tell the two wanted to simply wear him down. It was a strategy that he's seen many times before. This time he doubts that he could get the two to hit one another. They were in sync. When one was pushed away, the other would take their place.

Yes, he was already seeing their pattern. As soon as the man jumped up to try and kick him, Jack quickly pulled out his revolver and unloaded. The man quickly fell to the ground, holding his hands between his legs.

Even with aura, getting shot in the crotch still hurts worse than hell.

"Cheap shot!" The man groaned in pain.

Jack didn't care as he could focus his attention on the woman for a couple of seconds. The woman immediately charged at him, so he swung the wrench. For a second it appeared to connect, only for it to pass right through her. She suddenly disappeared from sight, just in time for Jack to get stabbed in the shoulder as the woman once again appeared. He let out a grunt of pain.

"No aura." The woman seemed to contemplate.

That would prove to be a mistake as Jack used the opportunity to bash his wrench on her head as hard as he could and shove her off of him. Her aura protected her from having her skull caved in, but she still felt the repercussion. She stumbled back a few steps as the man was now recovering from the literal crotch shot.

"He has no aura."

"Well just shoot him then."

"If I recall, you said you wanted the next kill."

"Now's not the time."

"Now you know how I feel." The woman holstered her weapons and crossed her arms.

The man frowned as he ran up towards Jack, who took his time to reload. He then snapped his finger and the man was immediately set on fire. The man's new priority was to put the fire out, so he tried to stop, drop, and roll.

The woman's eyes widened and she turned towards the, meanwhile Jack literally shot into the empty air. Has he been tricked by a decoy once again? No, it must be something else. Jack hasn't had much experience fighting aura users. However if he can do enough damage, anything can go down eventually. He used this distraction to charge with his wrench.

Amber quickly bonked the fiery woman on her head, only serving as a minor inconvenience to her as she proceeded set forth a burst of flame that would knock her back. Amber recovered as quick as she could and looked to see the woman swaying back and forth, filled to the brim with sadistic confidence. Amber quickly spun her staff around to get in a better stance.

The woman smirked as she conjured up any flames that were still lingering around. She commanded the fire to wrap around her body in and began to have the flames dance around one another. Amber's stance dropped as she saw the woman commanding the fire without any sign of being threatened by her. It was a display that exhumed confidence, which managed to lower Amber's confidence. However, Amber was a bit intrigued by the display. Once again she found herself taking out the camera and snapping a picture of the woman in a brilliant display. Maybe she was a photographer at heart?

The fiery woman smirked as she allowed the flames to dance around one another, "Are you afraid?"

Amber didn't answer, she had already put away the camera. She wasn't going to let the roadbandit get into her head. Sure she was a bit timid for her first time actually fighting a human opponent seriously, but it was the principal of the matter.

"You know, this would've ended quickly if you used your powers. Otherwise, your friend over there wouldn't have- well why don't you take a look?"

Everything seemed to stop. How did they know? With that statement Amber knew that these were no ordinary bandits. They weren't just some random bandits on the road that'll take anyone's things who happen to pass by. They weren't bandits she's heard about in many stories, no. These were the type of people that seeked to harm her, to get to her, to kill her. She honestly didn't think they were real. After years of not encountering anyone seeking to harm her specifically she somewhat assumed it that it was a tale akin to the boogeyman.

She needed to run, that's what they always told her to do if she encounters anyone like this. Anyone seeking to harm her are better prepared than any old bandit. Wait, what about-

"Jack?" Amber slowly turned her head around. She let out a scream as she saw him get shot by the green woman, then immediately get decapitated by the man in gray. The image was very surreal as she seemed to process the information as slow as possible. She watched as his head shot off somewhere and his body slowly collapse, riddle with bullets.

"It's your fault you know?" The fiery woman smirked as she saw Amber's face fill with despair.

It was her fault, she should've just denied his request. She should've known that something like this would happen. She was specifically told he had no aura. He was just a man who ran an orphanage and probably beat some Grimm with luck and rage. It was her fault he died. Her fault. Her fault. Her fault. Her fault! Her Fault! Her fault! HER FAULT! HER FAULT! HER FAULT! HERFAULTHERFAULTHERFAULTHERFAULT!

A swirl of emotions enveloped her heart, anger, sadness, rage, some reason she had the urge to laugh. She had dropped the staff a while ago and was know clenching her fists. Her eyes seemed to conjure up flames around them, slowly growing in intensity as she was starting to realize her emotions that needed to be felt. Her entire being was shaking in unbridled energy. And then it suddenly stopped.

She let out a scream.

Jack was dealing with the gray man, who was currently attacking him while he was on fire. Strangely this wasn't unusual to him. It takes a certain kind of crazy to fight while one was on fire. He noted that the green woman was looking in the opposite direction, but he had to deal with the gray man. He had tried to strike the woman earlier, but as one could see he was fighting the man on fire.

The man seemed to pick up in speed and attack faster, probably as a way to get the fire off him quickly. As previously observed his fighting style involved a lot of kicking, Jack was doing relatively well against the new combat style. It was like blocking weapons, except it was with legs.

The man once again jumped to kick him from the air. Jack decided to not block this time and lean to the side, this would cause the man to land right past Jack. Jack quickly pulled out his revolver and fired all he had once again into the man's back. Five out of the six bullets hit the aura, but the last one managed to puncture his skin causing him to grunt in pain. It would appear that Jack has depleted the man's aura, possibly due to him setting the man on fire.

Jack quickly switched to his wrench, but before he could charge he heard a scream. He naturally looked towards the source of the scream, to see Amber.. start to levitate.

Her eyes seemed to be engulfed in a flame looking substance, but her body language said it all. She was in despair, stuck in between anger and sadness. The other combatants stopped as they took in the sight of her floating in the air.

Clouds began to converge on her location and strong gusts of wind were present. Lightning erupted sporadically all around her. For some reason Jack felt a sense of familiarity from the power she was exhuming.

He unconsciously looked at his left hand to see lightning course through his veins and jump between his fingers.

" _You know why plasmids were created, boyo? Apparently someone wanted to obtain the power of the Maidens, you know those fairytales that parents tell their wee little babies? They began to experiment with all types of unsavory things. Well they did it, all at the price of people's sanity."_

A powerful gust of wind blew right past him and into the gray man. The great winds managed to pin him to the ground, causing the man to cry out in pain due to the intense pressure.

Suddenly the winds stopped pressing on the man, releasing him from the force of the winds. That didn't mean he could get up right now.

Jack turned to the green woman to see flames burst all around her, seemingly engulfing her in it. It stopped just as suddenly. The area around the woman was scorched, but she was left untouched.

His gaze would return to Amber, her head was moving back and forth sporadically. It was then that Jack knew that her attacks were filled with sadness and rage that she didn't know what the hell she was doing.

Amber was blinded by her emotions, that one could tell. All she could were the ones that killed Jack. The red woman, the green woman, the gray son of a bitch who landed the killing blow. Lightning crackled all around her. She did not know what to do now.

She's started to feel exhausted. Perhaps because she wasn't used to her powers, no matter that just means she had to end this quickly. She saw a fourth figure standing still, staring straight at her. She could've sworn there were only three of them, but that doesn't mean another one couldn't have popped out of nowhere, they probably waited in ambush.

Amber pointed a hand down at the fourth figure, the lightning around her struck the area where she was pointing at. She didn't check if she hit, as she turned her attention towards the red woman. Amber suddenly felt as though something was missing. That's when an arrow struck her in the stomach, her aura has been depleted. No wonder she felt so tired. The shock of the impact managed to snap her out of her state of mind.

Amber began to fall back down to the ground.

Jack lowered his arms. He saw that all of the lightning bolts missed him entirely. He's been hit with electricity before and it hurt, to say the least. Now he could've imagined what it would be like to take all of that electricity at once. He would be a smoldering pile of ash!

Jack took a glance to his left to see the gray man still on the ground. It could be safe to say he was unconscious. He took a glance to the right to see the green woman on her knees looking towards the sky. It would appear that she may have been a bit traumatized by the event that just went down.

Jack's head snapped forward as he heard a loud thud. He saw Amber lying on the ground, he could see a small bit of arrow sticking out of her. The fiery woman slowly crept up to her. She crouched, a hand slowly approaching Amber's face.

The image before him quickly distorted. Amber and the fiery woman were gone. A little girl with glowing yellow eyes and a crazed man was what he could see. The two were in a ruined area with water slowly flooding the room.

The little girl backed as far away from the man as she could, but backed into the wall.

"No, stay away!" The little girl had a distorted voice, one of a little girl, but it echoed with a deep sounding reverb.

"Get over here you little shit!" The man clearly has lost it as he twitched with every step. His hand rose up, twitching at inhuman speeds, "I just need all the ADAM from you body! Then, I'll be the boss of the boss!"

The little girl screamed as the man tried to grab her. The image froze before Jack, just in time to see the look of pure terror on the girl's face.

" _I beg of you, please do everything and anything you can to protect the little ones. They need to be able to live ordinary lives, free from this place. I know you have no true incentive to do such a thing, but I beg of you. Please do the right thing and save the little ones."_

Jack quickly found himself swinging his wrench into the fiery woman's face, grabbing her by the dress, headbutting her, and throwing her back a few feet. It took a few seconds for the woman to register what just happened. After those seconds were up an ugly scowl appeared on her face as she shook her head.

The woman rushed Jack, striking his face with a closed fist, before kneeing him in the stomach. Jack merely grunted as he swung his wrench at the woman once again. The woman grabbed the wrench with both her hands, trying to pry it from his hands.

Jack would have none of it as he pulled the woman towards him, using her grip on his wrench as an advantage, and headbutting her, multiple times in fact.

The woman stumbled back a bit, her aura was still around her taking the brunt of the damage. That didn't mean she didn't feel it.

The woman smirked once again as she found herself in the perfect position to do her little flame trick. With a few quick movements of her hands she commanded the flames to push towards Jack.

Jack firmly stood his ground as the flames quickly engulfed him, setting his clothing on fire. The flames slowly died out, but Jack stood his ground. He didn't even flinch. His clothes were still relatively okay enough to stick to him.

Jack didn't really feel much of the heat. She dare call that a flame? No, he'll show her a flame. A better one. Jack's entire left arm began to distort in color, turning into a blue and black like one. However, a blue flame burned between his finger fips. He raised his hands, placing his fingers into a snapping position.

The woman saw this action and her eyes widened. This man didn't have a dust crystal on him, his arm suddenly changed color, and a blue flame appeared in between his fingers. The flame just appeared out of nowhere! It's almost like- this man- no he couldn't-

"What are you?" She asked, putting up a straight face.

Her answer would be in the form of the man snapping his fingers and flames igniting on her position. Not being thrown or manipulated to her, it ignited on her exact location! The flames were hot, hotter than her own, it was truly painful! Fire was her specialty, so why does this harm her so? Is this the potential that she could have? Flames that burned blue, hotter than her current ones? It wasn't starting to feel so bad now. She was experiencing something new, and she wanted.

But that still didn't dismiss the fact that she was standing still, burning!

Jack needed to get out of there. He was running low on ammo and energy to be dealing with these people. His first opponents that used aura, and three were too much for him. He was a man that knew when to retreat and that was now. He's made a lapse in judgement for engaging this time, but that was due to inexperience with fighting aura users.

Without thinking too much about it, he picked up Amber and ran. He didn't bother to check if his enemies pursued him, he just needed to get out of there. He ran and ran and ran, didn't matter which direction he picked.

After a while his breath became ragged and he finally stopped. He ran somewhere, making sure to stay off the road. He was in a small area filled with trees, but he could still see the road between the gaps in distance between the trees. He didn't stray as far from it as he thought.

He placed Amber down on a tree and pulled the arrow that was still lodged in her. He then pulled a bandage out of bag that he had on him. Thank goodness he was only burned on the front, though the strings were on a fine line.

Amber opened her eyes to see Jack fixing her wound, "Jack, you're alive." She sounded glad.

He nodded and smiled a bit.

"I saw you die. Am I seeing a ghost?" She was still exhausted from the experience.

Jack shook his head.

She must've seen another hallucination, like that girl on the road. It was so vivid, she could've sworn it was real.

She couldn't remember much, but she felt her mind lose control of her body. The same type of feeling when she used her powers, then she woke up falling out of the air…. She must've used her powers.

"You must've saved me then." She said.

She was expecting him to ask for answers on what she did. She expected him to demand a straight answer out of her, even if she actually didn't know. him to lose trust in her when she gave an unsatisfactory answer. She expected him to… to distance himself from her and tell her the exact same thing everyone else, who knew of her power, told.

" _You must keep your abilities hidden. You don't know who or what will try to get to you."_

However, expectation doesn't mean it will happen.

"Yeah, get some rest. You had a rough day, Amber."

He didn't question, badger, nor distance himself from her. He was worried about her well being, plain and simple. Not because of he had to, because her powers were very important. Not because he was told to watch out for her. But because he was truly worried about her well being. It felt, nice.

A smile formed on Amber's face, "Thank you, Mr. Bubbles." She closed her eyes to get as much rest as she needed. His kindness, just felt so right.

…..

 **There we go, another chapter done. As many can tell I am taking a lot of liberties, but this is fanfiction so bear with me. No idea what Amber's age was, so yeah. If anyone has any questions would you kindly ask?**

 **I was initially planning to have Jack be from Earth, but quickly realized that you can integrate Rapture into Remnant. Especially if you know what Rapture represents and was made for people to get away from tradition. (And many more… things.)**

 **By the way, Genetic Research Camera for the win.**

… **.**

 **Current Research:**

 **Me and Mr. B:Lv1-Lv2**

 _With the first picture I took with Jack, for some reason it said to me that perhaps this is the beginning of a long lasting bond that'll deepen later on. I hope I won't be separated from him once we reach my destination. Perhaps I shouldn't get too attached? :(_

 **Bonds are everything in this world. As your bond with Jack grows your understanding of the world grows a bit more clear. Perhaps, you'll learn a thing or two about morality? Maybe learn a few more things from combat? Maybe learn the meaning of family?**

 **Groups of enemies: LV1-LV2**

 **Take out groups more effectively and efficiently. The more pictures of enemies you take the more rewards you get.**

 **Unknown woman:LV0-LV1**

 **You feel as though you could learn a thing or two from this woman. Flame based attacks increase in damage. More pictures, more rewards.**

 **(Don't expect this at the end of every chapter. See ya next chapter.)**


	3. Chapter 3

"Listen, kid. I appreciate what you're doing, but you have to let me handle it from here."

"Why?"

"I wish I could tell you, but I have an oath of secrecy, unfortunately."

Amber groaned a bit as she woke up to two people seemingly having an argument. A blanket was simply thrown over her. She looked to the side and saw some of her possessions were on a bed stand right next to her, namely the camera and the doll of herself. She slowly reached for the small doll of herself.

She pulled the doll towards her and examined it. It honestly felt like she was seeing a mini version of herself. She flipped the doll on its backside, the material used was obviously soft. Something peculiar seemed to jut out of the back of the doll, she saw something stand out in between the doll's backside. Was it not knitted properly? She could see a little bit of material jut out of the doll as well.

She placed a finger in between the open back slit of the doll. She pulled out a piece of paper from the back of the doll. It was a small piece of paper that was simply folded up. She unfolded it and read it.

'Mr. Bubbles. Mr. Bubbles. Are you there? Are you there? Come and bring me lollies, come and bring me toys. Teddy Bear. Teddy Bear.' -The Mr Bubble Song.

Amber was understandably confused at what the paper was. She did had a somewhat hard time deciphering it as it was written by a child, but it didn't take that long. Even if this was a song, she does not have a good grasp on how it would be properly sang. It seemed a bit disjointed. Anyway she wouldn't have time to understand as there were two men arguing outside her room.

"Listen, for your own safety it's better to walk away from this one. I'd really be glad to have a helping hand on this one, but… you get the gist."

"No."

Well it was more like Jack giving one worded answers and the other man trying to argue his statement. Judging from what he was saying, it must be her bodyguard. It once again reminded her of her predicament. She was someone that was worth protecting. It wasn't because of love, genuine feeling, nor friendship. She is someone that is only worth protecting, due to power. She's somewhat always understood that her protection was more of a power play. She hated that feeling, but there wasn't anything she could do about it.

She's a shell that harbors the real body.

"Alright, fine. The least I can say is that I tried. I hope you know what you're getting into kid."

"You don't know the half of it."

"Heh. Here I thought you were just a humorless guy."

Jack and the man man seemed to have stopped arguing, or rather the man gave up and didn't really care to stop Jack. The door opened to reveal Jack and the other man. He appeared to be lazily dressed in gray, had black hair, red eyes, and seemed to have a strong sense of alcohol in his presence.

"Look who's awake. Have a good rest, princess?"

The least Amber can say is that he wasn't like her other bodyguards. This man was the only one that didn't seem to take the job seriously, judging from the smell of alcohol on him. Did they send an alcoholic to protect her?

"Now, I know what you're thinking. Who's this drunk bastard? Well let's just say I'm the best they got."

An alcoholic is the best they got? Hang on, she actually knows his name. She was told her bodyguard's name right? Did she actually pay attention? It had something to do with a black bird-

"Raven, right?" She took a guess at the first black bird she thought of.

"Uh, no. It's Qrow. Raven's… someone else." The man looked a bit to the side at the mention of the name Raven.

Well that was her second guess anyway. Amber took a glance at the camera on the desk, no this didn't feel like a picture worthy moment. Instead she happily turned her attention towards Jack. She took note of a sudden change of attire, well his trousers were different. The sweater was identical, though with a different pattern. His trousers, looked a bit more on the green side, which clashed completely with the white sweater.

Amber grabbed the camera to take a picture of the discrepancy in colors. This earned a raised brow from both of the men in the room. Neither of them questioned it directly, not sure of how to word them.

"So I heard from this guy, Jack, that you got attacked. He was carried you all the way here, but I swear he was skimping on the details. Three guys attacked, you got hurt, he got you out of there."

Well he wasn't lying…. He must've left out the part about her powers. She had a just had that feeling. Since her bodyguard knows of her power, it wouldn't hurt to admit it.

"He knows." She simply told the man. It was just a feeling.

Qrow sighed and took out a flask, "I guess your grave has already been dug for you." He took a quick sip before putting it back, "Though, I appreciate that you didn't blab about her powers as soon as you got here. Or else I would have to silence you." The last bit was told in a somewhat humorous tone, though with a sign of seriousness if he did do it.

"I could've taken you."

Qrow smirked, "Try me. I doubt you would've lasted, what with those burns and injuries you had. Not to mention you were exhausted."

"I've had worse."

Qrow lost his smirked as he chuckled, "Well at least you got a funny bone in you somewhere. Though on another note, how did he find out?"

"When those… people attacked us." Amber said, reluctant to use the simple term bandit. They were technically bandits, but not the usual kind.

"What did these people do to have you use your powers on them?"

Amber summarized the entire encounter with the bandits.

Qrow was somewhat panicked at the prospect, but didn't allow it to make him lose his alcoholic composure, "Do you remember what they look like?"

"I have a picture." She showed the camera.

He didn't need to look at the picture. If she claims she has it, she has it. You won't just lie about the ones who attacked you, especially if you have a picture of them, "I'll have to contact Ozpin about this. At the very least we won't have to walk back to Vale, hopefully."

Qrow walked out of the room, leaving Jack and Amber alone. Amber could feel the tension that never left the room. He's probably going to question what went on the road.

Jack took a knee next to her bed, "How're you feeling?"

She wasn't proven wrong yet, but at least he didn't start off with it. "I'm doing fine." Her voice was a small bit raspy. Though she did still feel a bit tired. It wasn't physical exhaustion, just mental, "Just a bit tired."

"Get as much rest as you can, Amber, or else you won't become big and strong." Jack tried to cheer her up by flexing his arm.

She stifled a giggle, "Okay, but you have to read me a bedtime story." She played along.

Jack smiled as he stood up from his kneeling position and began to walk out of the room.

"Wait." Amber remembered her question that was on the forefront of her mind, "You're not going to question what happened?"

Surprisingly Jack shook his head, turning to once again faced Amber.

"Surely you must want answers."

Jack nodded his head, "It'll come in due time. I'll keep a secret, if you keep one."

Amber tilted her head and raised a brow. What could he possibly mean?

Jack once again approached her bedside. Jack snapped his fingers and a small orange flame appeared between them.

Amber gasped quietly. How did he do that? Where did he- is he- Her thoughts were a bit jumbled and confused. It was a small gesture, but it would certainly leave a large impact on her.

She wanted to ask a million questions, but didn't ask a single one. Perhaps it is her way of returning the favor? If he doesn't question, she won't question. However, she knew the underlying message here. Both of them had to trust one another to keep secrets. Jack and his powers, Amber and her powers.

At least she thought Jack had multiple powers. Maybe this'll barrel down later down the line, but she felt a bit calm right now. Millions of questions, but she honestly felt calm.

Jack stopped the small display and put the blanket over Amber and placed the doll of herself in her arms. Perhaps for the heck of it, he also placed his doll right in her arms.

She was being tucked in!

"Hey." She was grown woman, she could put herself to sleep. However, she wasn't exactly resisting either.

After Jack finished he made his way to the door, "Get some rest. If you need anything just call for me." He left the room, leaving Amber with some dolls in her arm.

She was a bit peeved at being tucked in, but her body was longing for some more sleep. A warm feeling enveloped her body as she laid down. She still had many questions, but the longing for the need of sleep was what took priority. However, one last thought went through her mind as she slipped into unconsciousness.

No matter what she thought, Jack cared about her wellbeing first and foremost.

…..

"You know, I think you might be my new best friend." Qrow joked as he took a swig from the bottle Jack brought out. He was surprised at the fact that he had his hands on a very expensive bottle of Clear.

Clear was very finely crafted alcoholic wine traded back and forth between Vale and Atlas in its creation process. The result was a very fine mixture of ingredients from both of the places. Qrow wasn't going to question where he got it from. Now if got the 'highest of the high class' Napronix Wine, then he would have to question it… at least after drinking the whole bottle.

"The Bulkheads should be here in thirty minutes, give or take." Qrow told Jack as he handed the bottle over to the man.

Jack took a swig from it. He honestly was hoping to save it, but Qrow clearly noticed the bottle from his bag. So now they're just sitting outside on a bench, taking swigs from a very expensive drink.

"Jack, right?" Qrow said as he took another swig, "This stuff's good."

Jack nodded.

"You did a good job not blabbing about her powers as soon as you got here. It makes my job a little bit easier. Most people would try to get everyone's attention and tell the whole town." Qrow smirked, "I guess good luck can come my way sometimes."

Jack took a swig and handed it back.

"Gonna be honest, kid. I have no idea how Oz is going to deal with you. You know something only a few people know, myself included. I don't have any words to make you feel better, so just be prepared for whatever comes next."

"Alright."

"Not much of a talker huh?" He took a swig, "I can live with that." Qrow stopped drinking, "Let's save this for later. Don't know if we'll have another one now, do we?"

Call it a feeling, but Qrow thinks this will definitely not be a rare encounter with Jack. Though he couldn't tell if that was good or bad.

….

Amber yawned as she still held the doll of herself in her arms. Qrow, Jack, and Amber were on the very clunky looking, yet spacious Bulkhead. She wanted to get some more rest, but the cold floor and the uncomfortable seating mostly prevented that.

Plus how exactly could she sleep with how Jack was acting right now.

He was sat down in his seat, strapped tightly as can be, and hanging on to his wrench like it's his only life support.

This did earn a laugh from Qrow and Amber.

"Are you alright Mr. B?"

"Yeah, just being a bit cautious." He spoke in his usual tone, yet it held a bit of fear.

"I say you don't have enough straps, kid. Especially with me around." Qrow, somewhat muttered the last part.

Jack stayed in his seat for the entirety of their hour long ride.

…..

Amber stood in awe at the academy that stood before her. She's heard and read stories of this prestigious academy, made for the purpose of training Huntsmen. She honestly didn't expect it to be this big, especially the tower that overshadowed it all. Ozpin's tower, her apparent benefactor's tower.

Jack meanwhile was looking at the tower with a small bit of intrigue, as if to say he's seen better. The grounds looked very presentable, there was a fountain in the middle, some nice architecture, the buildings looked rather nice. However, one must not forget that this academy is built on a cliff.

"Welcome to Beacon, where they train children to fight monsters." Qrow threw his arms a bit lazily, "Oz is up in the tower, but anyone could tell you that. Don't want to, 'Dilly Daley for too long', so let's get going." Qrow put air quotes and an annoyed tone in his voice.

The place may seem large, but once you start moving the place begins to appear smaller than it is. Amber would've taken a picture, but it seems that Qrow was trying to get them to Ozpin as quickly as possible. Probably to avoid any 'Dilly Daley', whatever that meant.

Jack seemed to be taking everything in stride though, so maybe she should follow his example for now.

The three walked for a little while before arriving at an elevator, the three stepped in and waited for the elevator to get to the top.

"I know a couple of good bars around Vale. You'll probably find me at one of them sometime. Would be very kind of you to buy me a drink sometime." Qrow wanted to make some small talk with Jack, just so the ride can go by faster.

"I'll think about it." Jack kindly returned the conversation.

"If you have the time there's a place called Junior's. It's a nightclub, the music is terrible, but the bar isn't half bad."

The elevator reached its destination, "We're here. Follow me to the 'mysterious and powerful Oz'."

The trio walked around in a small hallway before settling upon a single door, "Wait here for a second."

Qrow walked into the rather large room that opposed the small hallway he was just in. He made sure to shut the door behind him and walked right on through. For such a large room it always felt empty, sure there were books here and there, some desks, but it just felt empty all around.

"I got'em Oz."

Ozpin sat in his chair, drinking a small cup of coffee. One might call it his signature drink, if one saw how much he consumed... a little too much indeed.

"Thank you, Qrow. I take it wasn't troublesome to bring them here?"

"Not at all, they came willingly without much of a fight. That Jack kid's got good head on his shoulders."

Ozpin sighed, "Yes, the one who witnessed Amber's powers. You said he didn't tell anyone?"

"Nope, just came into town, said they got into a fight, and that's it."

Ozpin hummed in a bit of delight, "Good head indeed. I noticed you didn't get back to me on Tenenbaum."

Qrow placed a hand on his neck and shifted his gaze, "Yeah, she kind of pulled a disappearing act on me."

Ozpin raised a brow, "Do you mind going into details?"

Qrow sighed and placed his hand down, "There's not much to go into detail, Oz. As soon as you told me to get more info out of her, I walked back in and she was gone. I tried to look all over for her, then Amber and Jack came."

"I see."

Ozpin sighed as he took another sip from his seamlessly endless coffee mug, "Let them in."

Qrow nodded noticed a certain blond individual in the corner, "Sup, Glynda."

"Mr. Branwen." She acknowledged him.

Qrow shrugged at the formality. He walked back towards the door, opened it, and motioned for the two to come inside.

However as soon as the two stepped inside, a man in a suit that has a white mustache and hair came in. If one were to look at his eyes, they could see that they were very cold blue.

He ignored everyone else and headed straight towards Ozpin.

"Mr. Schnee." Ozpin calmly said, trying to keep a calm expression, "It's extraordinarily rare for you to personally come talk to someone yourself in person. What's the problem?"

"You know full well what the predicament is Ozpin. I thought I told you to reject my daughter's request to come here."

Ozpin shook his head, "Why would I do that, Mr. Schnee? If she wishes to learn, she shall be granted the freedom to learn."

Schnee frowned, "A combat school is below what a Schnee should be in. We should be above the commoners, the parasites."

Amber noticed the Jack's hand visibly twitched at the mention of the word 'parasite'.

Ozpin didn't say anything.

"Fine. Make it to where she'll learn that this is just a fantastical dream that she can never achieve. An impossible endeavour."

"She will learn herself. It's up to her to decide. I will not intentionally sabotage a student's wishes."

Schnee appeared to do an elegant scoff, "You're lucky you are held in such high regard Ozpin."

The man took a glance around the room and his eyes landed on Qrow, Jack, and Amber. He then proceeded to leave the room, muttering about the time he's wasted coming there himself.

"I hate rich assholes." Jack was the one who said that.

"I agree with you there." Qrow mumbled loudly.

Ozpin coughed, "Excuse our surprise guest, there's just some issues that have yet to be resolved." Ozpin motioned Jack and Amber to sit down.

The two did exactly that, and took the seats across from the desk.

"Anything else you need me for?"

"No, you're dismissed for now Qrow."

"Alright. I'll see you around." Qrow lazily waved a hand, exiting the room.

The room's atmosphere quickly quieted down. Amber awkwardly shifted about in her seat as the blond woman slowly walked towards the desk. Jack meanwhile assumed a calm demeanor, seemingly eyeing the coffee that Ozpin was drinking.

Ozpin seemed to notice and pulled a container of coffee from under the table and a cup. After he poured the coffee into the cup he handed it to Jack. Amber meanwhile tried her best to discreetly take a photo of the interesting scene, which she did.

It seems that exchange was the quick ice breaker as Ozpin shifted in his seat a bit, smiled, and looked between Jack and Amber.

"Amber, it's pleasant to finally meet you face to face."

"It's a pleasure to meet you too." Amber didn't want to sound foolish in front of Ozpin.

Ozpin turned his head towards Jack, "And you young man, the mysterious witness named Jack. Would you be so kind as to indulge me on your name?"

Jack placed the cup of coffee down and extended his hand, "Jack Wynand."

Ozpin returned the handshake, "Wynand: bold warrior, if I can recall. My name is Professor Ozpin, headmaster of this prestigious Beacon Academy. Now care to indulge me on how you met Amber?"

Jack opened his mouth.

"Actually would you mind if I explained?" Amber asked.

"If you wish to, young lady." Ozpin smiled.

Amber simply recounted the events of how the two met, with Jack providing commentary on the side.

Ozpin hummed as his eyes were closed, "Bold warrior indeed. You seem to be making quite a name for yourself if you keep this up." 'Not to mention that Amber seems to be quite the fangirl, no it's something else.'

Jack simply nodded.

Glynda decided to step in at the moment, "Are you sure that you can believe what this 'Berry' told about Mr. Wynand is true?"

Amber tilted her head a bit and raised a brow. She thought for a couple of seconds before she gave a resounded answer, "Yes. Yes I do." It was a feeling she had at the time, not to mention Berry didn't seem like the type to lie in a story. He was talking about Jack, not himself.

"I'm not trying to call anyone a liar, nor say your intuition in what's right or wrong is incorrect. I am just trying to get you to see it from a logical standpoint. How can a man with no training, nor experience take on a small pack of Grimm by himself?"

Amber had to think for a second or so to find an appropriate retort. She didn't exactly like the way this woman was… handling the conversation? Something like that. Though her mind goes back to the battle against the… thieves, for a lack of a better term. She honestly was focused on her own fighting, instead of Jack's- what can she say?

"Glynda, I advise that you listen to these words." Ozpin put his hand up, "No matter what gets in a father's way, if anything tries to hurt their little girl he will go through the depths of hell to protect her."

Glynda raised a brow at that.

"What I mean is: If anything tries to harm a man's daughter, he will protect her at all costs."

"I understand Ozpin, but-"

"You are under the mistaken impression that Mr. Wynand had no experience in combat."

Glynda shut her mouth after that, a bit disheartened. She took a few glances towards the ground. She let out a sigh.

Jack noticed her immediate plight. His instincts told him to cheer her up, just like he did with the children.

Jack took a second to examine Glynda, reach for his bag, fish around in it, then he pulled out a couple of Special L's Chocolate Snack Bar. He presented it to her.

"No thank you, I'm fine." Glynda shook her head, but Jack still presented it to her. Glynda shifted her eyes to the side, "Are those Special L's?"

"Yeah. It's all yours, if you want it that is."

Glynda eventually grabbed the snacks from Jack's hand and stored them away. She'll save them for later, now wasn't an appropriate time to eat them.

Ozpin decided to get the discussion back on track, "Now, Amber, about the usage of your powers-"

Amber seemed to know what Ozpin was going to say, "I have pictures of them, the ones who attacked us."

She was quick to pull up the picture of the three attackers standing still in the short standoff they experienced.

"I see, we'll have to keep an eye out for them. Now Amber, would you kindly retell the events that lead up to the encounter?"

Jack coughed a bit.

Amber began to go into detail about the fight, but Jack had to fill in the rest. He left out the part about setting the flaming woman on fire and just said he grabbed Amber and ran.

"I see." Ozpin turned toward Jack and smiled, "Your name's getting more and more fitting, Mr. Wynand. Taking on two aura users without any yourself."

He frowned a bit as he turned to Amber, "I am a bit disappointed in your lack of control over your powers." His frown turned into a smile, "However, I guess not being able to ever use them can do that to someone."

Amber smiled.

Ozpin once again turned his attention towards Jack, "Mr. Wynand, do you happen to know the legend of the Maidens."

"The ones parents tell their children?" From what he could remember, it was something about the season's personified- there are hosts- passed down from woman to woman- something else maybe?

"Precisely, now what if I were to tell that the story of the Maidens was true?"

Jack's mind flashed back to a certain underwater city, "I may be inclined to believe you."

"For many generations the story of the Maidens were told to be just legends. It used to be told as simple fact, before foes that wished to obtain the power of Maidens themselves seeked to harm them."

" _Fontain's dead. He died a month ago.- He somehow still manages to cause a stir for everyone, even Ryan."_

"I think I see where you're going with this." Jack said.

Ozpin smiled, he just knew Jack was telling the truth, "The Maidens' powers have been passed down from host to host, for as long as anything can remember. To this very day, one host stands among us right now, and that is Amber, the Fall Maiden."

Amber looked a bit sheepishly at the ground, it was just a title. A title that pinned her as a prime target for anyone wishing for immense power. A title that would serve more as a curse than a blessing. A title that was more important than her.

Jack simply nodded, no overreactions, no freakouts, no questions. Amber looked at Jack, before remembering that he cared for 'her' well being, first and foremost. A smile crept up to her lips.

Ozpin took a sip of coffee, "I see you're ready to move on without question. I like that. Now onto a somewhat related matter."

Ozpin placed his coffee on the desk and folded his arms, "The world is an ever-changing place, Amber. Humanity's will becomes weaker, the Grimm get stronger, and Huntsmen are starting to wear thin. In an effort to protect you, I have assigned that you be watched over personally by me. Now seeing that your previous guardians seemed to have failed to give you the basic needs of a human, I have a proposition for you."

Amber once again felt the kindness of another being. It was like with Jack, but she felt it with Ozpin. It was like she knew that his words were truthful, he understood that she was in dire need of other people. Though, it wasn't as prevalent as Jack's kindness.

"Firstly, Jack. Since you have already formed some sort of bond with Amber, not to mention saved her life, are you willing to become her guardian?"

Jack nodded his head, no hesitation, nor questions.

"Any reason as to why?"

Jack put a thumb to his chin for a second, "I guess I'm just yearning to fill my role as a guardian of children."

"Interesting. I guess you would need that role filled after you shut down your orphanage."

Jack nodded.

"Mr. Bubbles? You do know that I'm not just a child, right?" Anything could prove that Amber was everything, but a child. A normal one at least.

"You still have room to grow, Amber./Amber, you still have room to grow." Ozpin and Jack said at the same time. They gave each other a quizzical look, before they both wore an upwards smile.

"I guess that proves that you did run an orphanage." Ozpin jabbed.

"Mr. Bubbles?" Glynda once again stepped into the fray.

Jack pointed to himself, "That's what the kids usually call me."

"Why did they call you that?" Glynda raised a brow.

Jack opened his mouth, thinking he had an answer. Before he stopped dead in his tracks, why did they call him Mr. Bubbles? In fact why did they call those _things_ Mr. Bubbles? Who came up with it and why did all the little ones say Mr. Bubbles? "I haven't the faintest idea really."

Glynda simply nodded.

Ozpin smirked as he turned his attention towards Amber, "For you Amber, I have a very special request for you."

Amber leaned forward.

"How would you like to go to school here, at Beacon Academy?"

Amber seemed to have froze at the prospect.

"Of course you don't have to, but it'll probably make your a bit more easier and bearable."

She was actually presented a choice? She could choose to do so or not choose to do so? It was an unusual feeling. She had the freedom to choose for once. Not a minor decision, but one that would be a major impact on her life? Wait, isn't there downsides?

"Mr. Ozpin, I'll ask once more. Why would you wish for Amber to come here and mingle among the students? What if they find out about her powers? What if she reveals to all the students her power, even by accident?"

Yeah, that's what Amber was worried about too. She nodded her head in agreement with Glynda's questions.

Ozpin looked Amber in the eyes, trying to tap into the very soul they held. He then said, "This will be a way for you to grow as a person, Amber. No amount of training will prepare you for the coming battles, but that's what experience is for. You will both train and experience many new things here. You've also been isolated for most of your life, that's why you'll find companionship with possible comrades here. If all else fails, they'll have your back, no matter who attacks you. We'll cross the bridge of your powers being discovered when we get there, but that is up to you to reveal it. The question is, would you really want to live in isolation for your entire life?"

Amber had nothing to say. She had nothing to think about either, she was just frozen in place. She was honestly trying to process what Ozpin was saying. She turned her head towards Jack.

"It's your choice to make, Amber."

Amber once again looked at the tattoos on Jack's wrists, for a second she imagined that the chains broke. She had a choice to make, yet she wasn't sure which one to choose.

"You don't have to choose right this instance, I'll give you a little time to think about it. For now you can choose to wander the school, or head into Vale. At least don't wander outside of Vale, wouldn't want anyone becoming a meal."

With that, Jack and Amber proceeded to leave the room. They waited for the elevator to come, then went down it.

Amber was still thinking about the choice she'll have to make.

"I think I'm going to head towards Vale." Jack said, the day was still young after all.

Amber shook her head, "I'm going to stay at Beacon, think about the choice I'm about to make." It could either be the best or worst mistake she's ever made in her life.

Jack nodded.

"Be safe on the trip down." Amber managed to jab at Jack.

"Right…." Jack coughed into his hand and grabbed his neck at the prospect of flying, again.

….

"Are you sure you made the right decision?" Glynda asked.

"All I did was offer her a choice."

"I see."

"Aren't you going to eat the snacks Mr. Wynand gave to you. It would be rude to not to eat them."

"I'll save-"

"That was an order, Glynda."

"An order to eat?"

"Yes."

Glynda took out one of the bars she was given, unwrapped it, then took a bit out of it, "Mr. Wynand seemed to had take everything in stride."

Ozpin took a sip from his coffee, "Yes. From his eyes I can tell he's a man of conviction." Ozpin also saw something else in the man's eyes. Something that not a lot of people could claim. He could see that Jack had faced horrors and survived the encounter. It wasn't just simple Grimm either.

"I must ask, what do you mean that I was mistaken for Jack having no combat experience."

Ozpin smirked, but kept his mouth shut. He shook his head, indicating that he wasn't going to give an answer. Sure Jack may not have had combat experience against the Grimm, but he could see that he had experience against his fellow man. Ozpin wasn't going to pretend that the world is completely black and white, like many children and perhaps some adults think. Jack had the looks of killing his fellow man before, but it wasn't out of cold blood, that he could be sure of. Now there's a question that still remains.

What did Mr. Bu- Mr. Wynand experience?... it seems Mr. Bubbles sounds a bit more pleasing to say.

….

 **Have any questions? Would you kindly ask? Would you kindly review?**

 **What do you think of current predicament here?**

…

 **Research:**

 **Little Fashionista:LV 1-LV2**

 **You seem to have an eye for fashion. Do more damage to opponents that are not wearing matching clothes, or look hideous in their current clothes.**

 **Coffee Freak: LV -1-LV 0**

 **Why is coffee so interesting? You begin to learn how to make some good coffee, just from the way people drink it…. you still have to make it though.**

…

 **Omake/Extra.**

 **Little Fashionista:LV ?**

Amber was currently standing over someone, a woman, sewing a pair of pants into her legs, "What can I do with this one? Her clothes!" She jammed the large needle into the woman making her twitch, "Don't!" She pulled out, "MATCH!" She stuck the needle into the woman, keeping it there.

"This one!" She pointed to a person hanging on a cross, dead, "Has a large shirt!"

"This one!" She pointed to another person on a cross, "Has pants that's three sizes too small!"

"And this one!" She pointed a final person on a cross, "Is too perfect!"

Amber looked up to see two people, Torchwick and Neo. Neo held up a sign that said, 'Ummm…. Hi?"

"Intruders?!" She only needed to take one look at them, "They're ugly! UGLY!" She activated a machine gun to come from under the table, she manned it and continued, "UGGLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLYYYYYYYYYYYY!"

She shot through the window, causing Neo and Torchwick to duck and cover.

"What have we got ourselves into?"

Neo shrugged.


	4. Chapter 4

Jack watched as he saw the child he was carrying run into the arms of her parents. Earlier he found a lost little monkey faunus, so he gave him a couple of treats, assured him it would be alright, then he placed the faunus on his shoulders and looked for his parents.

Jack smiled as he continued to wander the streets of Vale. He had no true destination in mind, just to figure out the lay of the city. Probably find out where all the shortcuts are as well. He didn't have a map, but he was making an internal one.

He was helping a few people here and there. One woman lost her purse, he found it in the park. One man lost his keys, it was somehow near the docks. One person had their store robbed a few days ago, well he couldn't exactly fix that, but he provided some simply advice on traps and defenses.

Needless to say he was running around most of the day, learning the city as best he could. Apparently he was told the city had a crime problem at night, he better be careful then.

He eventually found himself near the nightclub called Junior's. It was open, if the bouncers at the door urging people to come in didn't tip him off. It wasn't exactly dark yet, but they must be opening early to prepare.

He entered the club, it wouldn't hurt to grab a few drinks. Having never entered a proper club before, he was impressed at how large the place was. There was tables on one end of the room, a large dance floor with a DJ booth elevated at the end of it, a second floor, adjacent to the dance floor was the bar.

A few people were strewn about drinking at the tables, possibly waiting for the sun to go down. He noticed people in black and red suits moving stuff around, it would be safe to assume they were the employees.

He walked towards the bar, seeing a man with a beard, in a black suit with a white vest over it, plus a pair of red tinted sunglasses.

Jack immediately took a seat at the bar.

"Welcome, what can I get you?" The bartender greeted him.

"I'll take a beer."

The man sighed, "Sorry, tap's busted. I'm supposed to get it fixed by tomorrow. Anything else you want?"

Jack stayed silent for a bit, "Want me to take a look at it?" Jack took out his wrench.

When one frequently visits a bar, like Jack, you may learn a thing or two about fixing alcohol dispensers.

The man smiled, "By all means, go ahead. Just don't break it any further." The bartender opened the bar to Jack, allowing him to take a look at the tap.

He took a quick look and immediately got to work. He actually didn't need to use the wrench at all, just some elbow grease.

After he was done he tapped on the dispenser to signify he was done. Jack walked back around towards his previous seat, he actually decided to leave the wrench on the bar.

The bartender tested the dispenser, it worked like a charm. His grin couldn't get any bigger than it was, "Well I'll be, you fixed her. Not only that." The bartender quickly filled a large cup with beer, "You made her young again. Can't remember the last time she filled a cup this quickly." He handed Jack the cup, "As a thank you, this is on the house."

Jack took a few gulps from the drink, he was used to the taste of beer by now.

"People call me Junior around here, it's a pleasure to meet you." The bartender, Junior, introduced himself.

"Jack Wynand, but people call me Mr. Bubbles." Jack took another gulp.

Junior chuckled a bit, "And I thought people making fun of Junior was bad."

"So you own this place?"

Junior nodded, "Yup, the place racks in good money too. As long as no one causes any trouble we're good." Junior suddenly frowned, "Speaking of trouble."

Jack didn't bother to look back, instead he brought the wrench ever so closer to him. If anything happened he would only use it to defend himself. From Junior's tone of voice it's probably someone who is a pain to deal with.

"Junior. Junior. That's no way to speak to an associate." A man said, trying to be as flamboyant as possible.

"What do you want?"

Jack noticed out of the corner of his eye a couple of employees walking towards the bar.

"Nothing Junior, not every encounter needs to be a business transaction my friend. Get me your worst wine you have."

Junior begrudgingly obliged, grabbing a bottle of wine from the bottom of the shelf and pouring it into a shot glass. However, it seemed that he was genuinely surprised that it wasn't a business deal.

Jack took a look at his left to see a man in a white suit, a rather good looking bowl cap, a cane, and orange hair. He didn't stare for too long as he relaxed, knowing that nothing is going to go down.

He heard the seat to his right creak ever so slightly. He looked to his left to see a rather small statured girl. Her appearance seemed to be a weird array of colors. Her hair was pink and brown, her eyes were the same two different colors, her outfit was white with pink details. For some reason it reminded Jack of ice cream of all things.

The woman was smiling at him in a somewhat creepy manner. Unfortunately for her, Jack's seen creepier. Jack simply tapped his hands on the bar to ask for a refill. He also slapped some Lien on the table.

Instead Jack was handed an entirely different glass. To which the woman right next to him took and decided to play keep away with Jack. He could immediately see right through her ploy though, you don't run an orphanage and not find yourself in the game of keep away.

He could see that the woman was still smiling at him, perhaps thinking he was going to play along. Jack took another quick analysis of the woman and reached into his bag. He pulled out a couple of chocolate bars and offered it to the woman.

Jack could see that the woman's smile grew larger and she handed back the beer in exchange for the chocolate bars. Now he could drink.

Jack took a glance at the orange haired man, he seemed to have paid attention towards the small exchange the two did. He was smoking a cigar.

"I see you made a new friend." It was obvious he was talking to the woman, "Here's to hoping you don't break him." He muttered, which earned a bonk on the head from an umbrella. He ignored it, and asked for more alcohol.

"You can smoke in here?" Jack asked Junior.

"Apparently, yes." Junior grumbled looking at the orange haired man.

Jack pulled out a pack of cigarettes, pulled out a single cigarette, hid his hand to pretend he had a lighter, and lit the cigarette. So far the day has gone without much incident, it's been a while since he's had a cigarette anyway.

….

How long has it been? A couple of hours since she's stayed glued to the bench. She didn't know, her only focus was on the fact that she had a choice. Funny how she's spent hours on a single choice, yet hasn't made any decision on it. Should she become a student or carry on hidden under the wraps, her existence basically non existent.

Amber giggled, why should she change the status quo, she's been hidden most of her life for her own protection. Why change that now? Her powers are more important than her anyway… she's got to stop thinking like that. However, it wasn't far from the truth.

Amber placed her face into her hands, she can't get help from anyone this is her choice.

"You're down on your luck just as well?" She heard a man's voice.

She looked up to see a brown haired man with brown eyes sit right next to her. He had a look of anxiety on his face.

"Yeah. I'm just thinking of a choice I have to make." Amber said somewhat solemn.

The man sighed, "You too?"

Amber raised a brow.

The man chuckled a bit, "Sorry, the name's Mark Meltzer."

Amber nodded, "My name's Amber. What do you mean by that?"

Meltzer blushed a bit, "I've been thinking about confessing to a girl. Been thinking about doing that for a couple of months now. I just don't know if she'll return the feelings."

Amber seemed to quickly get invested in his plight. Perhaps it was because it took her mind off her own choice to make? "Why do you think that?"

"Well we've practically been bestfriends since we've met. We've never made a move on one another before. I don't want to make it awkward if she rejects me. I have developed my feelings towards her recently." Meltzer blushed as he was thinking about it.

Amber was curious at where the recent development came from, "When did you start feeling these things?"

"Well it just came out of nowhere. When I was in combat class last school year, I got beaten like hell. Unfortunately, the guy I was fighting didn't hold back. As my aura was nearing the red the guy decided to hit me so hard that my aura depleted and I got sent towards the wall, knocking me out with a couple of broken bones." Meltzer recalled.

"You're a student here?" Amber asked, before she realized she probably asked a stupid question.

Meltzer smirked, "A second year now. The girl I fell in love with is my teammate, Amanda Vert." He obviously didn't mind the question, "Now when I woke up in the infirmary, I was surprised to see Amanda laying her head at my bedside. She ended up staying with me the entire time I was knocked out, skipping class to just stay with me until I got up. Right then and there I knew she was the one."

Amber felt a little touched at the story, it was rather sweet. It was almost like the stories she read when she was younger.

"She makes my heart go crazy. I sometimes think in the future if we had a kid. If we had a boy, we'll call him Umbra. If we had a girl we'll call her Cindy." No words can describe how much he was in love.

"Then just tell her how you feel." Amber didn't actually know what it felt like to be in love. So she suggested a simple solutions like the stories she used to read.

Meltzer became completely unsure of himself once again, "It's not that simple. What if she rejects me? What if she found someone else over break? What if I find out I don't actually love her?" A million scenarios were running through the boy's head.

Amber didn't know what else to say. She thought back to the stories she used to read. It was probably better than nothing she supposed. She calmly placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a light squeeze, "Don't be bothered by the what ifs, you won't know unless you confess your feelings to her. You won't find out anything just fretting here. Just be brave enough to do it and everything will be alright."

Meltzer stared at Amber for a few seconds before a large smirk appeared all over his face, "By Oum, you're right! What type of Huntsman in training can charge into Grimm without a second thought, but hesitate when thinking about the woman he loves?! Gah! I've been so stupid!" Meltzer was laughing as he slapped his hand in his face, "So what choice do you have to make? Hopefully not the same woes as me."

Amber hesitated for a second, she could decide not to tell- no. That would be absolutely be the rudest thing she could do. "I was given a choice whether or not to come to school here, at Beacon. I'm not sure."

A few tense seconds of silence occurred, which was quickly broken by Meltzer's laugh, "That's all? Well let me tell you, Amber, I've been having the time of my life here. I found a girl I really like, my team is awesome, I'm a few years closer to becoming a Huntsman. Keep in mind I'm only a second year here, so it's good. Sure the classes are tough, but if you're paying attention you'll make it through. I mean I can't change your mind if you choose to stay or go, but please consider coming here. I feel like we'll make great friends, after all you've encouraged me to go and confess." Mark Meltzer wore a very infectious smile on him.

Amber honestly didn't know what to do now. On one hand she had a potential friend in Mark Meltzer and perhaps having a new and exciting way of life. On another it was like Glynda said, there's a risk of her exposing her power to people. However, then her mind goes back to contradict that, pointing at her choice at becoming a 'regular' student. It pointed to the fact that Ozpin allowed her to have a choice in the first place… she was simply given a choice...wait!

It made sense now! She was trusted to make a choice, of course! From what she's heard from previous guardians, Ozpin was a man that knew what he was doing and always planned ahead. If he gave her a choice he knew what the risks were. However, he trusted her not to make those risks!

Amber jumped from her seat, it was a feeling that she longed waited for. To be trusted to make a decision, with no one to automatically make it for her. She can't believe it took her this long to understand.

"I understand what I want to do now. Thank you Mark." Amber said trying to shake the his hand.

Meltzer stood from his seat as well, just as excited as Amber, "No, thank you Amber. I wouldn't be confessing without your help."

Amber slightly giggled at that, all she said was a very stereotypical line from the stories told to children. She didn't do much, other than listen to his woes.

"If you ever need help in training call upon team Mango (MAGO) we'll sort you newbies out." Meltzer snapped his fingers and walked away. He still had all the time in the world to confess.

Amber smiled as she made her way back towards Ozpin's tower. Hopefully the elevator was on her level, or else it would ruin her flow she had.

…

"That is how you drink and drink, Junior. Never drive and drive."

Junior was actually getting a chuckle out of the drunken orange haired man. The orange haired man actually didn't intend to get drunk, but he lost track of how many shots he had. He kept asking for more, thinking the cheap wine wasn't doing much.

Junior was obviously having a good time, seemingly wanting to stay next to the drunk man as long as possible.

Jack meanwhile hasn't touched his third beer, due to wanting to see the banter between Junior and the orange haired man. Also there was the fact that the ice cream looking woman, kept asking for candy. He's actually run out of candy to give, and he's never run out of candy to give to the children. Ask is a broad term, she just tapped his shoulder and gave him a smile, plus an almost adorable look in her eyes. He could've sworn only children were able to do it, but nope, this woman can easily do it.

"I'm out of candy." He finally told the woman.

The woman gave him a look and crossed her arms. She was pouting. It was her way of saying 'I don't believe that.' Jack instead gave a look, it's was what one might call a fatherly stare. The two didn't budge an inch, staring intensely at one another. It finally faded as the ice cream woman gave in and expressed a sigh.

Now Jack had to buy a lot of sweets, since this woman just ate them all.

The building was starting to fill up a bit, people were starting to get on the dance floor, and the DJ was starting to play some music. Strangely, the DJ had a giant bear head. Jack took a look out the window.

"Didn't think it was that late."

"You came in around sundown and stayed for at least two hours." Junior informed the Jack.

Jack didn't think he was here for two hours straight, who knew that listening to other people can do that to you? Hell, he hasn't even touched his third beer yet. He must've lost a small buzz he probably had. In fact he only had one cigarette his whole time here. Not that he smokes a pack-a-day, but still.

Time really does fly. Screw it he can stay another hour or so.

"Alright, I think now you had enough." Junior told the orange haired man, he was done having a laugh at his drunken demeanour.

"I'll say when I've had eno-"

The ice cream themed lady knocked the man out with an umbrella, then proceeded to pick him up and leave. Before she did that though she gave a look towards Jack, plus a wink. It seemed to be a way of saying 'next time we meet you better have more candy.' Or it was a small flirty gesture and Jack is too much of a keen observer to notice the obvious.

For a petite girl she sure was strong enough to pick up a man larger than her. It must've been a common occurrence. If Jack didn't know any better he would've assumed the lady was a child.

Jack liked this place, "Think I found the new bar I'll frequent." He told Junior.

"Here's hoping you'll meet my other regulars." Junior said.

Jack chugged down the alcoholic drink, stopping to give his throat some breathing room.

About a couple minutes later, the dance floor was quickly filled out and the DJ was playing a song that seemed to be a playing a piano? Jack may have joined the dance floor, if he didn't suck at dancing.

"Now where the good ammunition stores are?" Jack asked, he was running low on ammo.

"I know two, Dust Till Dawn and Dust to Dawn. Never get the two confused the owners hate it when you do that. They provide some high quality dust rounds."

Junior has been a pretty helpful fellow. Jack'll try to find a way to repay him. Other than frequenting the bar, "Thank you." Jack just finished his third beer, one more won't hurt.

Junior served him another beer.

"Hey there handsome." Jack was about to take another gulp, but he noticed a busty looking blond flirting with him. He didn't return the feelings as he could tell the girl was a bit too young to be at the bar.

The blond took a look at the bartender, "Strawberry Sunrise, no ice. Oh, and one of those little umbrellas."

"Aren't you a little young to be in this club, blondie?"

The blond giggled, "Aren't you a little old to have a name like Junior?"

Jack didn't know why, but something didn't seem to settle right here. He pulled his wrench ever so closer. Call it a gut feeling, but something was about to go wrong.

…..

 **There we go. This chapter was a bit on the cooling down side. I won't be incorporating much elements from Bioshock 2 as that takes place 8 years after Jack. However, for those who know of Mark Meltzer here you go.**

 **Yes, Amber will be joining in Beacon Academy. I was thinking of putting it in a vote, but decided against it. I think her joining a team would fit well with the story's themes.**

 **She will have a team, but she will not be the leader. Speaking of that, I'd like to request two OCs from the audience to add to Amber's team as I already have one planned. If that doesn't work out, then I'll just fill in the gap myself.**

 **I understand completely if anyone is going to drop the story because of this. (Once had someone drop a story because of a slight hint of a crush.)**

 **For those who stay, I hope you like the direction the story will be going and see you next time.**


	5. Chapter 5

It all happened so damn quickly. First the woman that just came into the bar and starts asking questions. She proceeds to grab Junior by the crotch, crushing it until she got a satisfactory answer out of him, she was apparently looking for someone. Then she proceeds to act as if nothing happened, pretending that the crotch crushing was just a playful, flirty, gesture. She offered to 'kiss and make up' for it. Junior fell for it and was sent flying into one of his own decoration pieces.

Junior's worker's were less than pleased, and everyone else that just came to dance subsequently ran out of the nightclub. So as any employee or bodyguards would do, they would try to solve violence with violence. The worker's proceeded to get their asses kicked by woman. She was wearing these gauntlets that seemed to be making shotgun like sounds every time she punched.

Now what the hell was Jack about to get himself into? Is this what it's like to be on the receiving end of a one man army? She was staying on the dance floor as well, noticeable dents in the floor as the workers were slammed into the ground and bounced out of them. This woman was just brutal in her attacks.

So, Jack did the reasonable thing. He chugged the rest of his beer, turned around, grabbed his wrench, and charged. The blond woman was distracted by the workers, and Jack got a pretty clean hit on the woman.

This didn't hinder her in the slightest as the woman dispatched of the workers and turned to Jack, "Hey, handsome." She quickly said and smiled. With a quick twist of her feet, she tried to dispatch of Jack quickly.

Jack didn't have any of it as he strafed quickly to the side. He could feel the shockwave of her punch that missed him. No doubt that would've easily shattered his bones. Okay, so he had another aura user to fight. He observed her a bit, now to just strategically widdle down her aura, then knock her out-

He barely dodged her follow up attack.

-If he can survive that long of course. No, he's survived worse.

Jack went on the aggression as he swung his wrench at the woman once again. He swung, just for her to block it with one fist and proceeded to punch him directly on the gut with the other. He heard the shotgun like sound go off as he was flung towards the wall that counted as an elevated platform for the DJ. Needless to say, his wrench didn't come with him, it stayed near the woman.

Every fiber in Jack's being was in so much pain right now. If he wasn't mistaken his outline was imprinted on the wall that was right behind him right now. Gunshots rang out from above him, the DJ must be fighting now… Nevermind, the woman just used her gauntlets to send projectiles flying, and now the DJ was silenced.

Jack laid in his position, dazed at the fact that he was literally punched so hard that he was sent flying into a wall. He could almost chuckle at the fact that just because he survived one thing, doesn't mean he can survive 'normal' things.

Jack could've sworn he saw a spotlight shine upon two women, one in a red dress, the other in a white dress, who walked down the stairs. They appeared to be ready to fight the woman. Good, let them do that. He was no help here.

He could swear he had his organs just explode, but nope, that was just a hell of a lot of pain.

He took a glance at the fighting women to see that the red and white girls were doing well against the woman, who was holding them off simultaneously. How powerful is this woman? Did he really pick the wrong fight to pick?

The white dressed woman was sent flying and seemed to hit a pipe that caused water to quickly leak everywhere. That didn't deter her as she quickly got up, simply complaining about her wet dress.

One woman was fighting with bladed heels, the other with blades. He kept losing track which one attacked with which, as his everything felt like jelly. Meanwhile a spotlight was on all three of them, as if to show that their display was a spectacle. A spectacle to be witnessed, a beauty that can't be replicated anywhere else. The three women moved to the beat of the music, especially the blond brawler. The spectacle of battle that can't simply be played out, but to live… a spectacle. Follow the beat of the music, let the energy flow naturally as you fight.

Jack could not believe what he was thinking of right now, but it fit the situation perfectly. The way the woman moved to the beat of the music, the way the camera lights shone upon them. They were conduits to this masterpiece called a battle.

Now all he needed to do was to put on some music that would allow him to control the battle. To move with the flow and allow his instincts to dance. With renewed vigor, Jack got up, he was simply ignoring the pain. All he needed to do was walk up where the DJ once stood. He walked up the ramp that was the DJ's nest.

He took a glance at the women that were still fighting. Yep, still fighting. It's amazing how the blond brawler can keep up with two, the two just needed to last a little longer. It would also appear that the water was quickly covering everything, hindering the movement of everyone just a little bit.

Just as he got to the top, he could see the DJ knocked out, and his destroyed weapon. He would've loved to use it, but oh well. Jack actually readied his pistol, and prepared himself.

He reached into his bag and pulled out a specific piece of music from a certain mad artist. Unfortunately he was a bit too quick on the draw as the record players were just for show. However, there was a computer to input a song of one's choosing. It's been a while since he's used one, but here goes.

The navigation process was simple, just click the top and search for the requested song. The speakers were already set to max. It was about time he showed what real music was like and how to dance. It would be more of the classical variety.

Jack took a look ahead and almost swore, the woman literally jumped several feet into the air and ground pounded the dance floor. This sent the two women that were fighting her sprawling in the air, before she punched them both away from her.

He had to act quick, Junior came back with a bazooka. Now with the feats this woman showed earlier, she'll probably dodge it easil- she just kicked the projectile Junior fired and it exploded into the air.

Jack knew what he must do now, he had to stop this woman before she went on more rampages. He quickly typed the song he was looking for.

'Waltz of the flowers.'

The music that was playing previously stopped, the woman seemed to have lost her momentum she had going as she stopped for a short second. Now he knew the music had a slow start up, so Jack had a minute to prepare. It was his turn to dance.

Jack found himself gaining a second wind as he jumped down from the DJ area and proceeded to fire upon the blond brawler, his goal was to quickly get to his wrench.

The brawler took grievous offense to the sudden change of music and a sneak attack from someone she thought was out for the count. So she proceeded to punch the air, sending projectiles towards Jack's way. Since Jack could easily see the projectiles coming, he dodged easily. He could hear the music picking up a bit. He was almost dodging to the tempo.

Jack finally made it to his wrench and picked it up. Just in time for Junior to take a stance right next to Jack. The two made a silent agreement to staredown the woman, who happily obliged in the short staring contest.

"Wait for the music." Jack said as he reloaded his pistol.

The two opposing sides faced one another, the woman wore a smirk and shook her head.

"Two on one boys? I don't think I can handle it." She joked, making the obvious joke. The music was starting to slow.

"I hope you have enough to pay for my club." Junior was seething with anger.

"Eh, put it on my tab."

The music seemed to stop in that moment, "Sorry, you've exceeded the maximum limit."... that was the last time Jack was ever going to try and do a one liner. It was a lot harder than it looked. He forgot the last part of the line he was going to say.

The classical music kicked into full gear, and the lights shined upon the three contenders. Jack immediately fired upon the woman, trying to match the tempo of the song. Junior immediately fired his bazooka at the woman.

The woman giggled as she ran forward, she punched the projectile, sending it somewhere else. She could not block the bullets that hit her however. She decided that the most dangerous target of the two was Junior. She could deal with the little peashooter for a while.

With a somewhat reckless abandon she charged at the bearded man. He would try to block, but doing that with a long heavy tube usually left you open for a bit. Which opening did she go for? Namely, it was Junior's crotch.

Junior didn't even scream as he swore that his pelvis just got shattered. He was sent flying towards the bar, breaking a lot of expensive alcoholic beverages. He took his bazooka with him.

The woman smirked and took a look a Jack, hoping that would deter the man. She saw him put away his pistol, she thought it would be a swift surrender from him after her awesome display. To her absolute surprise he pulled out his wrench and swung it in his hand a couple of times. It was a universal taunt that said 'come at me.'

She smirked happy to fulfill his request, "Feisty one aren't you? Let's hope you last longer this time!"

The woman charged at Jack, hoping to end this quick. He blocked just in time with his wrench to correspond to the tempo of the music. He jumped back as he would not fall for the same trick of being punched after a block twice.

Jack took the offensive, timing his swing to the music. She blocked, so he gave her a quick knee to the gut, causing her to actually stagger. All of it was to the tempo of the music. With a quick leap forward he managed to land a solid hit to her face, forcing her head to point in the direction where the momentum of the hit was going.

Jack didn't stop there as he strafed to the side, dodging an attack from the brawler. He had to dance. He had to let the music naturally control his movements. The woman hasn't caught on to his movement matching the tempo yet.

With a quick twirl, Jack spun and landed a blow on the woman's body. He jumped to avoid a sweeping kick she tried to do. The spotlights were affixed on the two, the two dancers in this ballet of a battle.

The woman once again smirked, "I guess I better get serious." She pumped her fists, causing shells to drop from her gauntlets, before she quickly reloaded them by throwing them in the air, catching them, and pumping her arms back to get the full effect. Coincidentally she did all of it to the tempo.

With a small shout she yelled and charged at Jack. She rapidly fired her fists at the man, who dodged, blocked, and weaved at the tempo. The intensity was increasing, the spotlights almost seemed have shined brighter as the two dancers continued their play.

Jack unfortunately lost a second to the tempo and was promptly roundhoused away. The woman would have certainly won if she wasn't once again besieged upon by the red and white girls.

The spotlight went off Jack and two shined upon the two women. He wasn't needed for this part of the act it seems. Jack quickly headed towards Junior, seeing him nurse his wounds. He got up, still a lot sore from a very violent punch to the jewels.

"You alright?" Jack asked the obviously negative answer question.

"N-no." Junior could barely breathe, "I would appreciate it if someone just took her down. Use my weapon if you need to. I'll just.. just.. go cry in a corner and sleep." Junior actually collapsed then and there.

Jack actually managed to pick up the large bazooka. It was a lot lighter than it looked, it was already loaded with one shot, so he better make it count. Enough was enough, this crazy woman needed to be taken down.

He noticed the red and white girls were synchronized, to each other and the tempo. Something the blond brawler still didn't see, or feel. She must be a terrible dancer. Once again the brawler would find herself teetering on the edge with these too, but from an angle it was like she was toying with them. She may as well be at this point.

Now before Jack could take any shot, a peculiar moment happened. One of the girls managed to slice at her, taking off a bit of her hair. Time seemed to slow down as Jack saw the woman's eyes slowly widened at seeing her hair floating in front of her. He could also a tinge of red appear in her eyes.

The woman then proceeded to scream, "My Hair!" It was so loud that one couldn't have been able to tell is she screamed any words or not. It was just one big blood curtailing scream. It also canceled out the music, stopping any sound from coming out of the speakers. One of the spotlights suddenly turned red, to signify the new intensity of this sacred dance.

The woman grabbed the foot of one of the girls who jumped into the air, slammed her into the other one, and proceeded to beat them. It wasn't a simple two people, one punch knockout deal. No, she proceeded to punch the two at an impossible speed, endlessly punching the two. Even if she was out of rounds for the gauntlets, she still punched them without a care.

She let out a very aggressive cry of anger and landed a final punch on both of them. One was sent flying towards the outdoor window and flew to the outside world. The other was sent towards a wall and crashed right through to the outside world. No way in any hell they were getting back up again.

This left Jack alone, with a very pissed off woman. Welp, he was not going down without a fight. So it'll be a fight he gives. Honestly, he always wanted to be in a proper bar fight. Now he's got a bar fight. A bar fight that escalated quicker than a bathysphere. One between a somewhat buzzed freak of nature and a very pissed off woman.

He took aim with the bazooka and fired, just before the spotlight turned on to him. His light was green, possibly to oppose the harsh red light of the woman's. The woman was too focused on the last location of the two women, plus she was pissed off enough that one would be able roast marshmallows off of her anger, that she didn't see the projectile coming.

She was blown forward a bit, hitting the ground. He could see that it was maybe a minor inconvenience for her at best as she got right back up, whipped around, and stared at Jack with the hatred of a thousands suns.

"A Big Daddy could never hope to get this mad." Jack found himself saying at this newfound level of anger. In the simplest terms possible, for the sake of his own mind.

He was fucked. Simple as that. If he survived, this would officially be the new 'survived worse' part. Welp, time to put up the best fight he could.

Jack prepared to swing his wrench at the off chance it would instantly knock her out. The woman cracked her knuckles and ran towards Jack, her feet almost skidding the ground, due to her anger.

Jack heard the simple splash of water under the woman's feet. Jack almost grew a maniacal smile as he understood what to do next. What was the best thing to do when your opponent is in the water? Why a simple tactic really.

Zap'em, and wack'em. The one-two combo!

The woman was suddenly in distance to be able to leap towards Jack with a flying punch, but he would not allow that. He made sure to stay out of the water zone. As soon as the woman even made a slight movement to jump, Jack flicked his left hand out on instinct, and a jolt of electricity ran through his hands into the water.

Now it should be obvious what happens when you have things that conduct electricity, namely a person. Firstly the water was quickly electrified, which was also connected to the woman's feet. The woman started spazzing out and you could physically see the electricity sparkinging inside and out of her body. Maybe one would see her skeleton if it was cartoony enough

Jack waited for the electricity in the water to die down and quickly closed the gap between him and the electrified woman. She was still spazzing out by the time he approached and swung his wrench. The wrench immediately connected with her face and drew blood.

Jack knew this wasn't an opportunity to be missed, he took down her aura. He wasted no time swinging at her right arm as hard as he could, he could practically hear the crack and see that he dislocated her arm.

The woman, in a panic, headbutted Jack, causing him to stumble back a bit. She cradled her arm for a second and looked at Jack. She took heavy breaths and used her remaining arm to try and painfully set it back. Jack really didn't care for that as he went in to take her down.

The woman stopped doing what she was doing and prepared to punch her assailant. Her nose was bleeding a bit and she grit her teeth, trying to hold back some tears that formed from the dislocated arm.

Jack took a page from a lot of people's books and leapt towards his opponent. The woman was a lot more focused than he thought and she quickly grabbed his wrench mid swing and kicked him away, forcing him away from his beloved weapon of choice once again.

Jack backed away, did a twirl, and pulled out his pistol. His finger was already on the trigger as he aimed at the woman without any aura left. A couple of shots will do the trick. The light on him turned red.

The woman dropped the wrench and widened her eyes, she forgot he had that peashooter. Now it wasn't a peashooter, it was a death sentence to anyone without aura. And she had the feeling he wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger. His expression on his face told her that. Her anger subsided after that blow to her arm, not to mention her face. So she would try and do the reasonable things. The light on her turned yellow.

"Hey, wait a sec-" She tried to reason with the man.

Suddenly, a loud rang out through the entire club. Yang looked down at her figure… to see that nothing hit her. All of the lights suddenly turned on in the night club and a rush of men made it through the door. Their weapons trained on the two contenders left that participated in the masterpiece.

"VPD Freeze!"

Jack placed his gun on the ground and raised both of his hands. He was quickly surrounded by the police, all of their weapons completely trained on him. He turned his head to see that the woman could only raise one arm in the air. He kept his swivel as he saw Junior and the red and white girls calmly seemed to calmly greet the police. Though they were surrounded as well.

"On the ground, now!"

Jack complied as he placed his hands behind his head and got onto the floor. The cold, wet floor, that conducted a lot of electricity earlier. Hopefully the procedure will be quick.

The handcuffs were quickly placed on him. He thought it was going to be quick, but now that he thought about it once again.

It was going to be a looooong night.

…..

 **I'll admit this was a very fun chapter to write. At some point my thought process went 'let's spice things up.' Then bam! Crazy awesome chapter.**

 **Still surprised how much you can write when you're so focused.**

 **Still have some room open for the OCs. I'll give it two more chapters for it to stay open.**

 **….**

 **Omake/Extra: The Big Daddy**.

"Neo, no." Torchwick scolded Neo as she was messing with an old diving suit that just washed up on the beach. It had a drill on it, plus these strange portholes.

She was doing random things to it, thinkin the suit was alive.

"Let's just ditch this thing an-" Roman didn't finish his sentence as the suit actually came to life and looked at Neo.

The portholes turned green and Neo found herself riding on its back.

"Get down from there."

Neo stuck her tongue out at Roman, seemingly to mock him for doubting her.

"I'll take away your ice cream for a month if you don't get down from there."

Neo narrowed her eyes, unfortunately for Roman the diving suit looked at him and revved its drill at him. Its portholes turned red, it was ready to attack him.

"Did I say take away? I meant give more to you, all of it you see. Hahahahah-" Roman backed away from the beast.

Let it be known that Neo no longer was considered a small trouble maker. She had her own partner in crime that did all the heavy lifting. She had always wanted her own minion. No other criminal would dare try to harm her, lest they get murdered by her minion.

She quickly made it to the top of the criminal food chain.


	6. Chapter 6

Jack rubbed his eyes as he was finally out of that cramped cell. It wasn't filled, no, it was just a small uncomfortable place. It's probably late into the night, Amber is probably worried about his location. He'll be honest, he's grown quite attached to the woman. Granted, he was a friend to all children. Perhaps it's because he can relate to her situation in a bizarre way? A freak of nature and a 'freak' of nature.

Jack patted his stomach. He could still feel that tingling sensation of being hit. It wasn't a new sensation, far from it, but it still sucked. That woman could hit!

"Your stuff's at the entrance Mr. Wynand, just ask for it on your way out." A VPD officer said to Jack. He was on the computer giving it an intense stare. He looked at Jack and then the computer again, "Got to say, didn't expect a farm boy to be all the way here in Vale. In a bar fight no less."

Jack simply nodded his head. Right, he 'was' a farm boy, according to his files and records.

 _You thought you had memories. A farm.. a family…. But was there really a family? Did the Bulkhead crash, or was it hijacked?_

"Also the club owner, Junior, left you a note. Also thank him later for coming to your defense." The officer handed Jack a note.

'Thanks for the assist. I don't know what would've happened if you weren't at the club. I owe you a couple of drinks, maybe even a couple of favors. I have to work on fixing the club, so sorry for not seeing you in person. I'll make sure my boys treat you nice the next time you come by. You get my back, I get yours. -Junior.'

Jack smirked after he read the note. At least he's getting a little recognition. Spending some time in a cell paid off after all.

"I take it you enjoyed your time in a cell?" Jack turned to look towards the familiar voice. It was Ozpin in all his glory.

"Got out when it just was getting comfortable." Seriously, he did not want to be in a cell ever again.

"I would imagine so." Ozpin even brought along his coffee cup. He sipped a bit, before beckoning Jack to follow, "Come Mr. Wynand. There's something I would like to discuss with you."

Ozpin walked deeper into the police station as Jack followed. They were actually walking towards the interrogation rooms. Jack raised a brow at the fact that they were even allowed in this area.

Ozpin suddenly stopped and smirked as he opened one of the doors, to find the woman Jack fought against being scolded by Glynda.

"Do you truly understand what your actions have done? You are a representative of Beacon, Young Lady, and your actions will reflect on us."

"Hey, I didn't exactly come in looking for a fight." The woman tried to defend herself.

Glynda didn't believe a cent of it as she pulled out a small laptop with the security footage of the night, "You didn't come looking for a fight, but you sure started one by the looks of it. Young Lady, do you know how much your incident is going to cost-" She stopped as she just noticed Jack and Ozpin, "Mr. Wynand, Professor Ozpin, is there anything you need?"

Jack shook his head.

Ozpin just smiled and sipped his coffee.

The woman turned her head, strangely her frown turned into a smile. She looked towards Jack, "Hey Handsome, nice to see you again. Hopefully you're not holding too much of a grudge."

Jack could see what she was doing. She was trying to divert the subject, so that she wouldn't get yelled or scolded at. Though it also showed that she didn't have any ill will towards him, even if she destroyed a club. Children needed to be disciplined and this is the exact reason why.

"You actually managed to kick my ass back there. Not many men can last long with me, you know?" She winked at the obvious joke.

"Miss Xiao Long, language." Glynda scolded the woman.

The blond ignored her and raised a hand towards Jack, "The name's Yang. What's yours, handsome?"

Jack sighed as he stared at the hand for a couple of seconds, "Jack Wynand." He was a bit reluctant to shake it, but he did so anyway.

Yang smirked, "Hey, I actually know this one. Wynand: bold warrior, right? Got to say, the name fits you after facing off against me."

"If we can get back to the problem at hand Miss Xiao Long." Glynda tried to steer back to the main problem.

Yang ignored Glynda once again, "Strange weapon to use. Seriously, who uses a wrench to fight?"

Glynda gripped the table as hard as she could, but a hand placed by Ozpin appeared on her shoulder, "Calm down, Glynda, she's still just a child."

"A child of reckless destruction."

"Yet a child, nonetheless."

Glynda sighed as she knew that she had no chance of arguing against Ozpin. Experience has taught her that Ozpin is just too stubborn and patient to be on the losing side of an argument.

She knows that children tend to do stupid things, but this is simply inexcusable. Not to mention how much it's going to cost! Ozpin knows money doesn't just grow on trees, but if you try to argue with him on it he'll find a way to say that money does indeed grow on trees due to some weird logic. You don't win against Ozpin, you just don't.

Glynda once again let out a sigh as she realized she was letting anger get to her head. She took out a Special L Chocolate Bar and started eating. She'll admit it is delicious and enough to calm her nerves.

Ozpin smiled as he took another sip of his coffee, "Miss Xiao Long, you're free to go."

Glynda stared at Ozpin as if he was crazy, before remembering she did work for him. He indeed was crazy at times.

"Sweet! I guess I'll see ya around, handsome." Yang winked as she immediately got up out of her chair and walked towards the door.

"I don't doubt that Miss Xiao Long, after all he is the head of security at Beacon." Ozpin added just as she got to the door.

Jack raised a brow at the claim.

The sentence immediately made her stop in her tracks and turn towards Jack. She had a wry little smile, "Is that so? I'll have you know I'm not that much of a troublemaker." She laughed awkwardly, "You won't be seeing me cause much trouble, no sir." She opened the door, "See ya. Bye." She closed it just as quickly.

"Uh…" Jack questioned.

"You heard what I said Mr. Wynand. You're part of security now, and as the only person on security that makes you the head of it." Jack could see the smile on Ozpin's face as he was trying to confuse him. It was working.

"Why?"

"Well you did say that you were a guardian of children. So, why not have you become a security guard in a place where children learn and grow?"

Jack had both his brows raised and tried to seek Glynda for help. She only pushed up her thin glasses and sighed.

"Congratulations on your new job and promotion Mr. Wynand. You really rose through the ranks quickly. I remember when I first hired you and here you are as head of security. It feels like you just joined. I hope you continue to make me proud."

"Are you done Professor Ozpin?" Glynda sighed as she took a seat.

"Yes, indeed Glynda." Ozpin took the seat adjacent to hers. He clearly did it for a couple of laughs.

Jack decided to take a seat as well. Just three people in an interrogation room.

Ozpin quickly coughed into his arm as no one talked for a solid couple of seconds, "In all seriousness Mr. Wynand, yes you are now part of security."

"And the reason is?" Jack didn't waste any time freaking out. This both disappointed and relieved Ozpin.

"Amber has accepted our request."

"I see." Jack waved his hand for him to continue.

"You had accepted to becoming her guardian earlier. So, with that logic I have put you as a person in security so that you can have a reason to be on school. I need to keep an eye on you both. I couldn't have you as a teacher as you don't have a teaching degree, not to mention you aren't a Huntsman."

"Alright." Jack said.

"You're taking this rather well."

Jack nodded, "I did say I would become a guardian to Amber. So, that's on me. However, I would have appreciated it if you asked me if I wanted to."

"You don't actually have to, Mr. Wynand. It's just for the sake of a reasonable cover."

"That's why I'm choosing to accept it."

Glynda sighed once again, "Oh, no." She placed her head on her hands. One thing she learned around Ozpin is to never say any variation of the word 'choice'. He usually goes on a spiel about it.

"Choosing, Mr. Wynand?" Ozpin's voice raised a bit.

Jack didn't falter and nodded.

Ozpin smiled, "Tell me Mr. Wynand. Do you understand what the nature of the word 'choice' is?"

Jack stood silent.

"It is a word that implies that people have free will. A way of life that they themselves can mend to their desires. A choice implies that they themselves can make it." Ozpin took a quick sip of his coffee, "Yet, there are people that believe that there can be moments of no choices, and some that believe everything is paved and predestined for them. Say a man is given a choice between death and life, in any scenario really. Was that a choice? Or was it an unfortunate circumstance?"

Ozpin was a bit surprised that Jack didn't look surprised at his sudden inquiry. In fact he looked a bit unimpressed. Jack then said, "Like a slave doing their master's bidding?"

Ozpin did note the fact that Jack looked at his chain tattoos, "Yes, a slave. Someone who can never have the freedom of choice, no so called free will to obtain. He can never truly be free as a slave."

Jack crossed his arms, and still had no sign of any surprise. Usually his inquiries would put people on their toes. Ozpin usually used the tactic to get a better understanding of people and their motives, so why doesn't Jack look surprised? This was truly interesting.

"I guess due onto their own." Ozpin sighed as he didn't get far in his inquiry. Jack was calm and collective, "I must say, whether or not free will exists is entirely up to the individual. If it is predestined, so be it. If it isn't, so be it. Mr Wynand, I personally believe in free will, yet a times I feel as though things can be predestined at times. Maybe a little bit of both."

Jack simply nodded his head.

Ozpin noted the time, "I must say it's very late. Tomorrow we'll definitely show you the security rooms. Is there anything you wish to ask of me?"

Jack did notice a little someone missing throughout all this, "Where's Amber?"

Glynda decided to speak up, "She still at Beacon, sleeping in a room we provided for her."

"She'll have to sleep in a dorm room when classes begin backup." Ozpin reminded Glynda.

"I still have doubts on your decision."

"I trust that Amber will not do anything reckless."

Glynda had nothing to add to that.

Ozpin stood from his chair, prompting the other two to follow, "It is getting late. We should head back to Beacon as soon as possible. I'll show Mr. Wynand to his room once we get there."

Ozpin prompted the other two to follow as he walked towards the door.

"Would you mind giving me a moment alone with Mr. Wynand?" Glynda spoke up.

"I'll be waiting outside." Ozpin smiled and walked out of the interrogation room.

Glynda turned towards Jack, tilting her head up due to his taller frame, "Mr. Wynand, I would like to thank you for the snacks you gave me earlier."

"No problem, I got mor-" Jack remembered the ice cream lady at the bar.

Strangely, it coincided with Glynda interrupting him, "It's not necessary for you to provide me treats. You are not obligated to do so, however it is a kind gesture. I would not object if you choose to do so again."

Jack nodded.

"I would also like to formally welcome you to the staff of Beacon. We strive to get the best out of our students. The other staff members will be informed of you and can choose whether or not to meet you. If there is anything you wish to know or need come talk to Professor Ozpin or me. I hope you contribute to the students as much as the other staff. Remember first and foremost that the students come first."

Glynda extended her hand, to which Jack returned the favor and shook, "I hope we get along fine."

"As do I, Mr. Wynand."

The two walked out of the interrogation room and headed to get out of the station. Jack had to collect his items first, so Glynda waited outside alongside Ozpin.

Ozpin took another sip from his seemingly endless cup of coffee, "I take it your talk went well?"

"I formally welcomed him to the staff of Beacon."

Ozpin had a sly grin grow on his face, "That's a unique way to say you were flirting."

"That was all I-" Glynda continued just to pause, "What?"

"I get that sometimes people don't want to admit it, but there's nothing to be embarrassed of Glynda."

"I'm not embarrassed. I can't be embarrassed if it didn't-"

"I get that you're reaching an age where you just want to settle down. I say go for it. He looks reliable and apparently good with children."

Glynda sighed and blushed a bit, "Professor Ozpin. I will hide all of your coffee cups and blends."

Ozpin chuckled as she stayed serious, "I jest, Glynda. I appreciate that you are willing to be on good terms with Mr. Bubbles."

"Mr. Bubbles, sir?" She knew it was a nickname, but she didn't expect Ozpin to use it so willingly.

"I personally like the nickname. It's easy to say and seems to roll off the tongue."

Glynda didn't say anything to that. To each of their own, as they say.

"I would personally appreciate it if you didn't take jabs at my lovelife."

"Yes, your nonexistent one."

Glynda gave a Ozpin a stare for a solid second or so.

Ozpin coughed into his arm, "That was too low. I'm sorry."

"Don't do that again." Glynda let out a breath through her mouth.

Jack came outside and the three would make their way back to Beacon.

….

Amber was exhausted. That would be putting it lightly. No, she felt as though she was barely even breathing. Her body felt weak, she was.. she didn't know where she was. She could barely where she was. It was dark, cold, and uncomfortable.

She could feel scars on her body, yet couldn't move her hands and feet. She couldn't move anything other than her eyes at the moment.

It felt very stuffy as if she was cramped in a tube of some sort.

Her heart began racing at an incredible pace, something that usually happened when one ran for an extended period of time. She didn't know what to do. She couldn't do anything!

Suddenly she was struck and her eyes shot open, suddenly aware of everything in her surroundings. The first thing she noticed was an arrow sticking right out of her chest and piercing glass from her container. She then noticed the woman who fired the arrow, she couldn't get a clear view of the woman. To Amber she looked like a demon.

Her mind once again began to fade as death started to embrace her. However, the world provided distortion and all of that disappeared, the arrow, the woman, the pain, and everything really.

The scene suddenly changed and Amber found herself standing in a white plane of existence. It was a familiar plane, one that she visited a couple of times before. It was a realm where she could… 'talk' to her powers. None of the visits were ever peaceful and graceful as her powers were trying to scare or warn her about something. Her powers did more of the talking or demonstrating.

She honestly did not like it when she was here. She awaited the inevitable and abstract warnings.

The void suddenly filled with water, popping Amber in the middle of it. All around her was water and all she could do was hold her breath. She physically couldn't hold on for long, she could feel her vision blacking out.

Yet before that happened the water was quickly drained and her clothes felt extremely wet. She let in the oh so precious oxygen she needed. Her hands touched the cold and wet ground to push her body up.

She looked up to see Jack in the white plain, this endless void. He was smiling at her, offering her a hand to get up. She pulled her hand up to accept it, but the scene quickly changed.

Amber now found herself trying to pull a bruised and bloody Jack up to his feet. He wasn't budging one bit, "Ge-Get up Mr. B!" She found herself saying.

Jack shook his head and put both of hands on Amber's. He let go of her hand to reveal a doll of himself, "You're on your own now, Amber." The light from his eyes faded as he dropped his wrench.

Amber picked up his wrench and let a tear fall from her eye.

The scene once again abruptly changed as she found herself struck by an arrow. Then another one and another and another and another. She was getting struck by a whole barrage of arrows and each and every single one of them was sticking into her.

A final one struck her in the head and she finally saw her killer, a woman in red. A very familiar one. Amber collapsed to the ground and the woman made sure Amber was looking directly at her. The woman suddenly pulled the dolls of Amber and Jack out of Amber's pocket.

The woman smirked wickedly as she first burned Amber's doll with a yellow flame and dropped it. She smiled as she examined Jack's doll, before she quickly burned it with a blue flame. She kept it in her hand and made sure to show it to Amber.

Amber awoke with a loud gasp, almost bordering on a scream. She took a quick look at her body to see that absolutely nothing was stuck into it. She took a quick look around the room she was in to see that it was still night time.

She let out a couple of breaths of air to try and understand what she just dreamt about. She always hated that damned white void as it never seemed to give anything that can help and always seemed hell bent on scaring her. She could feel the tears well up in her eyes as she recalled the nightmares. The white void never provided anything nice, just damned nightmares. She couldn't make sense of what in the hell that nightmare was. The one thing she always understood was that she was always in danger.

"Had a nightmare?"

Amber was startled to hear Jack, she turned her head to see him in a bed on the opposite end of the room. Of course she now remembered this was technically a guest room, so it shouldn't be too surprising.

"Yeah." She sounded a bit dejected, she did wake up from a nightmare.

Amber could hear shuffling from Jack's bed and saw his blanket rise a bit, "Come here."

Amber lifted herself from her own bed and walked over towards Jack's. She saw that he had scooched over, making room.

"Would you like to sleep with me? It might make those nightmares go away."

When a man asks a woman that, it usually is implied that their relationship is very intimate. Otherwise, it is complete taboo for a man to ask a woman that. Especially for a man, like Jack, to ask a young one, like Amber.

Amber didn't care about any of those notions and smiled a bit, "Yes, please." She just wanted to feel safe, even if it is just a little bit.

Amber scooched herself onto the bed and quickly found the blanket over her body and an arm over her body, as if to shield her from harm. She felt comfortable and warm, a feeling that she always wants to feel. Jack's breathing was slow and steady, obviously trying to let Amber sleep first.

"Jack?"

"Yeah?"

Amber shifted ever so slightly, "Do you think that fate exists?"

"Why?"

"My power makes me believe that. Ever since I was chosen to wield it. The more I learned, the more I started to believe in it."

"No."

"Huh?"

"I don't believe in fate, or destiny. It's an excuse people make to justify irrational decisions or the unknown."

"I honestly think so too." Amber smiled as she found herself allowing her mind to slip into unconsciousness.

"Goodnight, Amber."

"Goodnight, Mr. Bubbles."

Amber allowed herself to back a bit further into Jack's embrace. She felt a strong sense of warmness and security, before she went on to dreamland.

She didn't have anymore nightmares for the rest of the night.


	7. Chapter 7

_There was a man I knew from up above, a Schnee if I recall. Apparently he married into the Schnee name and was successful in his business endeavors. Surely he could've created his own company without the need to marry into the Schnee name. I offered him a place in Rapture, but he rejected. A pity really, he would've been more successful in Rapture, than with the parasites. Last I heard of him he was being disappointed with his eldest daughter, nothing new really_.

….

"How did he do it?" A woman in a red dress pondered as she kindled the flame in her hand. It was only her inside a dark room, only lit by the flame.

It's been quite a while since her failed attempt at assassinating the Maiden. A failure that she'll never forget, a failure that she refuses to forget. The failure of the mission did not bother her in the slightest, there is always backup plans. There needs to be plans, backups, backups for the backups, she was always prepared for failure or new developments.

The failure led to a new development. A new development that took her completely by surprise. It wasn't the man having some sort of Maiden-esq powers surprisingly enough. It was the intense flames that she felt. The man burned her with an intense heat that she could never imagine herself doing. It both pissed her off and gave her feeling. She couldn't tell what type of feeling it was, but it wanted her to be able to emulate the heat she felt that day.

Everyday since then she would practice and try to recreate the flames of blue fury. She wanted to give that man the heat she felt and the burning passion that ignited deep inside her. She wanted to have a battle of the flames, to see who burned the brightest.

A sensation went throughout her body as she focused on the flame that was in her hand. It would always change size depending on her focus. Yet, it never turned into the scorching blue that she wanted. However, this time the flame turned blue for a couple of second. Those couple of second felt like an eternity for the woman. The flame quickly died out after that.

The woman smiled however. She finally did it, even if it was for a few seconds, she did it. A flame more powerful than her current one. Flames that could burn brighter and than a majority of wildfires. A flame that she couldn't have strived for if she didn't encounter that man.

With her flames of passion and destruction upgraded, somewhat due to that man, even if it's just a little bit more power, she was pretty sure she was in love.

….

He finally did it. Jack cleaned the old dusty room known as the security room. It really was a room that wasn't ever used. The result was a mass collection of dust and decay from the state of neglect the room was in. He worked little by little, but the room was a habitable place to be in.

Alright, so the room was a place he could spend his downtime in. When he is not roaming the halls, he'll be doing whatever paperwork needs to get done in there. Honestly, it's not a bad set up.

Ozpin had him memorize a lot of rules he had to follow, plus memorize the rules the students would have to follow, plus the rules that teachers have to follow. He received the rule books, or rather thick pamphlets, for each set he had to follow and maintain.

Needless to say it has been a busy month.

"I like what you've done with the place, Mr. Wynand." Ozpin said as he entered the room and surprise surprise he had a cup of coffee in his hand.

Jack sat down on a chair, "I could've used some help, you know?"

Ozpin smirked, "You didn't ask."

Jack kept his mouth shut as he swiveled a bit in his chair.

Ozpin took a sip of his coffee and addressed a peculiar object in the room, "So, a candy bowl. You must be expecting a lot of troublemakers, Mr. Wynand."

Jack shrugged his shoulders, "Just anyone who asks."

"Well may I?" Ozpin reached his hand towards the bowl.

Jack nodded.

Ozpin grabbed a mint from the bowl and unraveled it. He actually admired it for a few seconds, "Ah yes, the mint. A sweet that advertises itself to make your breath smell better. It has a very unique aftereffect it leaves in your mouth, almost as if it changes the very air inside your mouth." Ozpin dropped the mint into his coffee, "Not to mention it goes great with coffee."

Jack absorbed these words of 'wisdom', "Do you always have to be so dramatic?"

Ozpin placed the coffee cup on the desk in front of Jack, "I find that it kills time. Try it sometimes, it's very fun."

"No." Jack didn't envision himself reciting long and dramatic speeches to make them appear 'intelligent and mysterious'.

"How has Amber been doing so far?"

"Good. She's really excited." Jack answered plain and simple. A smile was on his face though.

"I see. I'm glad to hear that." Ozpin dotted on his words for a second or so, "You're very special to her, Mr. Wynand. You hold a place very dear to her heart and she probably doesn't even realize it yet. I have no doubt that, in the future, your bond will develop beyond a guardian like relationship. Protect her with your life."

If you want to get to the girl, you'll have to go through the Big Daddy. You better prepare yourself.

"I will. I swear to it."

Ozpin smiled as he picked his cup back up and took a sip, "Amber is a lonely is someone who had strived for companionship, but never had the chance to obtain it. Throughout her life as a Maiden the only people around her were those who saw her as just a vessel. This naturally kept her from seeking companions and social interactions that any person needs. It's honestly a shame that none of them realized they were holding back her true potential."

Jack stood from his chair and walked towards the door, "See you." He felt the urge to do something for Amber. He made a swift exit out of the room, leaving the mighty Ozpin alone.

"Take care, Mr. Wynand." Ozpin took another glance around the room, "This place could use a coffee maker."

….

"Thank you again for the help, Mark." Amber thanked the man known as Mark Meltzer.

"No problem. What type of person would I be if I didn't help my juniors." Meltzer smiled as he handed Amber some combat books.

The two were in the rather large library of Beacon, a building separate from the main one.

"From what I remember from my first year, it was mostly listening to Professor Port drone on about his past, or learning to fight with Professor Goodwitch. Actually the first year flew by for me, so don't rely on me for tests answers." Meltzer chuckled.

"Is there anything else to note?" Amber asked.

"Well to stay at Beacon you have to pass an initiation."

"Initiation?"

Meltzer smirked, "Hey, I won't spoil all the fun for my junior. You'll find out-" Meltzer placed a hand on his head, "-two or three days from now. You better have all your stuff ready by then, cause it was a disaster when I wasn't as prepared as I thought."

Amber smiled as she was somewhat excited to actually be in a place she chose to be in.

"Again, if you need any one to spar with or all that jazz, contact team Mango (MAGO)."

"I'll be sure to come to you."

"That's the spirit! Do you need anymore help finding anything you need?"

Amber shook her head, she was content in what she had so far.

Meltzer smiled and turned, "I'll be seeing you later. Remember, be prepared."

Amber smiled as she watched the man walk away. Today was actually a good day for her. Just a few days till classes start up. Then she'll get to experience what it's like to be in school. Apparently from the stories she read… it was unique for everyone that experienced it. Though she doubts there would be any need to protect the school from a mysterious and powerful force, like in the stories. After all everyone here is absolutely combat ready.

Hopefully she'll do alright.

…..

Jack actually got done shopping around Vale, he got some candy to carry around, some bandaids, bullets for his gun, some miscellaneous items so he could make some things, and a lot of batteries. Oh and a gift for Amber.

"Hello, Mr. Wynand." Jack heard the familiar voice of Glynda greet him.

"Hello." He returned the favor.

"What are you doing?"

"Shopping. You?" Jack asked back.

"Shopping." Glynda answered.

Well, there wasn't any immediate point of interest to talk about. Jack was hungry though and it's about time for dinner, "Know any good places to eat?"

Glynda took a few seconds to think of a good place, "There's a cafe on G St. You can't miss it. They serve good sandwiches. Though there is also a fine dining establishment if you prefer." She gave him directions, simple as that.

"Alright, let's head to the cafe. I'll buy." Jack said, surprising Glynda a bit.

"I still have some impo-" Of all the times for her stomach to growl, this was the worst time ever. Not to mention it kind of felt un-ladylike nor professional for her stomach to basically beg for food out loud.

Jack shook his head and sighed as he motioned for Glynda to follow him, to which she complied.

"Excuse me for that… 'event'." Glynda apologized, walking alongside the taller man.

"It's alright. The kids I took care of, when they were trying to act stubborn, would always say they weren't hungry, before their stomach growled that is."

Glynda raised a brow. She actually had a burning question she always wondered, "How did someone like you end up running an orphanage and taking care of kids, not to imply you're a bad man."

Jack smiled, "It's basically a promise to a friend of mine." He pulled out his wallet and showed a photo of himself and a lot of little children, and from the looks of it they were all girls, "I promised I would try and have these kids here to be able to grow up and live a full life. One thing lead to another and I would be running an orphanage for a couple of months, a year or so at most. Basically, I'm a protector of all children now."

Glynda took a solid look at the photo, "You must miss them."

Jack nodded, "A little, but I know they'll grow up to do great things. I know they'll grow up with the love and care they need."

Glynda noted he had an undertone of sadness and she could probably deduce why, "Did you never have a chance like that?" It was the only logical question.

Jack had a notable grimace, "You could say something like that."

Glynda didn't prod any further as it may be a bit too personal for the man.

Besides they were at the cafe anyway, they sat at a table and ordered some special dinner sandwiches.

This place honestly was one of her favorite places to eat. It was a simple atmosphere and there weren't many people that came by. It gave off a very calming atmosphere.

"So, why did you end up becoming a Huntress?" Jack asked, trying to make small talk.

Glynda gave a small glance and indulged the man, "I come from a line of Huntsmen." She was going to leave it at that, but something inside her told her to keep going, "Believe it or not, I actually actually wanted to be a hero of justice when I started to train. A childish wish, but it's what kept me going for all those years."

Their sandwiches arrived.

"Yet as the years went on, that thought process quickly diminished as I was faced with the cold realities of the world. Now I just wish to prepare the children of the future for this cold reality."

"Nothing wrong with optimism." Jack replied.

"Yes, but that can only get you so far, Mr. Wynand. All of the optimism in the world can't prepare you for it."

"At least you got your wish to become a hero of justice."

"Huh?" Glynda had a puzzled look on her face, "What do you mean?"

"Well, Huntsmen are basically superheroes. You got your wish to become one."

"If you put it that way, yes. However, we are just defenders of peace, not heroes." Glynda finished one of her sandwiches.

"Yeah, and what are super heroes? They do say that heroes don't recognize themselves as one."

Glynda smiled a bit, "Are you trying to flatter me, Mr. Wynand?"

Jack shook his head, "I am just saying that you became what you wanted to be, so your optimism lead you down your path. The path of the righteous isn't always an easy one, no?"

Glynda actually chuckled a bit, unbeknownst to her it's what Jack was going for, "No, it isn't an easy path. That's why we must prepare children for the future, so they don't lose sight of that path." She continued to have a smile.

Jack smiled right back, it always felt good to cheer people up.

Though with this line of conversation it did make her realize something, "You don't have your aura unlocked, do you?"

Jack shook his head, "Yeah, I was wondering how long it would take you to notice."

"I apologize immensely, Mr. Wynand. You see we were busy preparing for school to start back up. Between.. everything really, it must've slipped my mind. However, it does not excuse my forgetfulness."

"It's alright, I've managed to survive this long without one, so there wasn't any rush. I doubt Ozpin forgot, he was probably waiting for me to ask or something like that."

"It wouldn't be the first time he's done something like that to someone." She knows he's messed with her more times than she could remember. She stood from her chair, "Please stand up, Mr. Wynand. I'm going to unlock your aura with my own." She reached a hand towards him.

Jack nodded, mentally preparing himself. He's read that the process varies from person to person. Some will feel pleasure, some will feel pain, some will feel nothing at all. He hoped he didn't get pain.

" _For it is through all of our actions that we live on, and we will eventually return to dust. Our experiences, our hopes, and our dreams will always be passed down. With this I release your soul, and allow you to find comfort onto thee."_

Jack didn't feel anything for a couple of seconds, though he could see green energy quickly wrap around his body, before disappearing. He then suddenly felt more exhausted than when he faced three Big Daddies. He let out heavy breaths of air and quickly sat down. He calmed down after a few seconds.

"Aura is the manifestation of the soul. It'll protect you from injury and heal your wounds quickly over time. You'll find your semblance on your own. Whether it's through training or by accident." Glynda checked her scroll and her eyes went wide.

"What's wrong?"

Glynda shook her head, "Nothing really. I just checked your aura gauge. Strangely, your aura is the equivalent of a child's. A young child at that. If you were ever in combat your aura would go down in one strong hit or so. It's very peculiar."

From what she could understand. You can't increase your aura through training, but you could refine it to use less when you take hits. However, age does increase your aura, as it is your soul getting older. How much it increases depends on the individual, but she's never seen a case like this. Some children can have an immense amount of aura at a young age and continue from there, some adults can have a small amount. Jack's aura is just ridiculously small.

Glynda sighed. If that's how much he has, it's how much he has. It's not like he chose to have a small aura, akin to a child's in the first place. Seriously, if she had to guess it would be roughly a four to five year old's, on average, aura. Maybe she's getting too much into this? Jack doesn't seem distraught from it though.

However, it would seem that she got a notification of a dust shop robbery taking place, "Please excuse me, Mr. Wynand, I have to go stop a robbery."

Jack chuckled a bit, "You really are… a superhero… if you stop robberies." He said that in between breaths. He was still recovering from the sudden exhaustion he experienced.

Glynda smiled as she was about to leave.

"Hang on." Jack said as he fished around in his bag and pulled something out, he actually threw a box of Special L's Chocolate Bars at her, to which she caught it quite easily, "Consider it a thank you and a gift."

Glynda continued to smile, "Thank you, Mr. Wynand." She walked away, with the box still in hand.

"You're welcome." Jack said as he still felt the exhaustion. He was going to eat the rest of his sandwiches and then go back to Beacon, he needed to sleep this off.

….

Amber was pretty sure she was prepared for school. All she needed to do was sleep and tomorrow would come in no time. She fumbled around in her bed, trying to get some shut eye, but the excitement was too much. What type of people would she meet? Who would she become friends with? What would she do?

There were so many questions, her excitement couldn't allow her to sleep. She continued to shuffle around in her bed, before she heard the door open and saw Jack come in. He looked exhausted.

"Mr. Bubbles, welcome back." She hopped straight out of her bed, she honestly never felt this giddy before. It was enough to make her forget her many years of loneliness.

"Hey, Amber." Jack yawned as he reached into his bag to give Amber a gift he bought, "I got you something."

Amber's heart seemingly slowed to a steady pace hearing that, "What is it?" Her demeanor quickly changed.

Jack pulled out a small stuffed bear and handed it to Amber, who took it ever so graciously. A large smile formed on her lips as she pulled the stuffed animal closer towards her. It honestly felt surreal to her, to actually be receiving a gift from Jack. She swore she could feel her heart slowly beating and tears almost start to form.

She gave the bear a hug, "I love it." Her voice was small, yet loud enough for Jack.

That wasn't his last gift however. Jack then proceeded to wrap his arms around Amber, embracing her into tight hug.

Everything stopped for a moment around Amber. An intensely warm feeling enamored her entire being. Her heart beat at a slow and methodical pace and she allowed tears to freely flow down her face. She let out a few sniffles as she allowed herself to delve further into Jack's chest.

Jack slowly had his hand slowly rub the back of her head, allowing her to let it all out.

Jack took a glance to the side and noticed the camera on the side table. He managed to grab it and hold it high into the air, "Amber, say cheese."

Amber slowly removed her head from Jack's chest and smiled the camera, tears of joy freely flowing down her cheeks.

Jack snapped the picture, cementing this memory into eternity. This would be something that Amber would never forget. This would also serve as a reminder that Amber would never be alone again.

As long as Jack's around, she'll never be lonely ever again.

…..

 **Short and sweet chapter, not much to say. Ya'll should know what's coming up next.**

 **Would you kindly try and guess what Jack's semblance is? Anyway, how am I doing on the cute moments? See you all next time!**

…..

 **Extra/Omake: The healing worked too well.**

"With aura your wounds will heal faster over time. All of them, except scars." Glynda explained.

For some reason Jack had a weird thought, 'All of them, even… that?' Jack quickly scribbled something down on a piece of paper, "Would you mind saying what's on this?" He handed Glynda the paper.

"Would you kindly… what's this say?" She couldn't read the last part clearly, "Break the table?"

Like an obedient servant, Jack smashed the table in half, with his fist hand, after thirty minutes, "Oh, no."

He's going to have to find Tenenbaum again, get this cured.

"So he said, Code: Yellow." A random person said next to him.

Jack proceeded to keel over and explode… the end, he's dead! Or is he?! Nah, he's dead, no resurrection.

…

 **Extra 2: What happened?!**

"Mr. Wynand?!" Glynda noted that he shrunk considerably, when she unlocked his aura.

He turned into a child?! What's going on?!

"What is this?" Glynda asked the child.

"Are you my Mommy?"

Glynda's heart couldn't take the question as the child was so adorable, wait! This is still Mr. Wynand!

"Upsies!" The child held his hands out.

Glynda couldn't resist the child's temptations as she picked him up and put him on her shoulder.

Guess she was mother now. Though she didn't expect it to turn out like this.


	8. Chapter 8

Tenenbaum crushed the bud of her cigarette into an ashtray. She let out a weighty breath and turned on her recorder, "I still find myself missing the little ones, but I know that they're in good hands."

She stopped for a second and looked around her cheap apartment, she could've sworn she heard something. She prepared a pistol just in case, "I always tend to find myself as a scientist first. There have been new technological advancements since I've been away."

This time Tenenbaum swore she heard a noise, it wasn't her neighbors. The noises tried to sound muffled and secretive.

"In my time away from the world I'm surprised to find it has mostly forgotten about me and moved on… if only a little bit. Robotics is the main focus of the world right as of now. This doesn't mean I'll bring attention to myself, especially from Atlas. I know no matter how much I wash away my atrocities, in the name of science, will never be cleaned off of my name."

Tenenbaum stopped her recording. There's many things she could've put on the recordings she's made for the past couple of months back on the surface. She's ensured that any mention of the word Rapture was censored or not said at all.

There was a knock at the door.

Tenenbaum sighed as she stood from her chair, taking her pistol with her. She placed it behind her back and slowly opened the door.

"Yes?"

She saw three people in the same uniform, wearing white masks over their eyes. Two men, one woman, no that wasn't right. It was A man, a woman and a child, one that's just getting into his teens by the looks of it. No doubt they were faunus, judging from the extra appendages they had. Unfortunately, for her she recognized what group they were affiliated with.

"Are you Tenenbaum?" The man asked, he wasn't going to wait for answers as he slowly unsheathed a knife.

"Can't believe she opened the door. So much for being a scientist." The woman said as she simply cracked her knuckles.

"Now we can do this the easy way or th-" The child began to taunt the stupidity of this woman. Unfortunately for him, he got to see firsthand what it's like to see someone drop dead.

Tenenbaum whipped out her pistol, aimed at the man's head and fired. He went down instantly, showing that he didn't have his aura unlocked.

The woman didn't have time to react as Tenenbaum quickly took aim towards her and fired three shots. Two to the chest, one towards the head. All three connected and killed her.

Tenenbaum then took a glance at the child perhaps just getting into his teens. He was pointing a handheld submachine gun at her, shaking in his boots.

"Do-Don't move!"

Tenenbaum got down on one knee to get to eye level with the child.

"I-I said don't m-move! Filthy human!"

Tenenbaum simply took the gun away from the child without much resistance. She raised a hand, causing him to flinch on instinct.

To his absolute surprise the woman gently caressed his exposed cheeks. She then gently ruffled his hair, this somewhat calmed him down a bit.

"Run child. Get away from these people. You have your entire life ahead of you, don't waste it on blind hatred."

His eyes widened, "Why should I believe you? You'll probably just shoot me the moment I turn around."

Tenenbaum didn't say anything, instead giving the child a small stare.

The child wordlessly backed away from the woman, before turning around and running as fast as he could out of the building.

"That can't be all of them." Tenenbaum muttered as she carefully proceeded inside the strangely quiet building. Someone must've heard the gunshots, surely.

She carefully peeked around every corner, she was sure those three weren't the only ones sent to capture her.

"Hello." A deeply modulated sounding voice spoke behind her. She zipped around to see someone in a completely white mask, with slits as eye holes. That was all she got to see of the man as she found herself on the ground, quickly losing consciousness.

There was a modulated sigh that came from the assailant, "I told them I could handle it by myself. They wouldn't have died if they just listened."

The assailant's black boots were the last things she saw before she slipped into the realm of unconsciousness.

The man checked to make sure she was knocked out, "Got her." He spoke into his radio.

The man walked a bit in a circle, waiting for a response.

"Good, it didn't take long, did it?"

"No, but she killed two of our men. The child ran away though. They didn't listen to me. I told you they'll get themselves killed."

"They need the field experience."

"Do I look like a babysitter?"

There was no answer from the otherside of the line.

"Is this about me not-"

"No."

The man sighed in a mock relief, "Good, cause I could've sworn you were mad about me messing up your favorite suit."

"So it was you."

The man chuckled, "There we go. You need to show more emotion. Just get over her."

"Just get Tenenbaum back here."

"Alright, but seriously you need to get over her. It's been, what, like a couple of months?"

The man effortlessly picked up the unconscious woman over his shoulder, plus her pistol, "Huh. This is an old model." He gave it a quick inspection, seemingly admiring it as if it was an old antique, "I might keep this, nothing beats a good old revolver." He quickly pocketed the weapon in his blue trench coat. If he didn't like it he could just sell it.

The man turned on his radio, "You know I'm kind of jealous. I have years worth of activities, I forgot how many jobs I've done. And all I have is an 80,000 Liens worth of a bounty. This woman kidnaps a couple of children and she gets 500,000 Liens worth of a bounty. Am I not good enough for them?" The man pretended to show a bit of despair.

He knows that she was one of the leading scientist in Atlas and one day she just went AWOL, but still.

…..

Amber nervously shifted in between the sudden influx of students that were on the grounds of Beacon Academy. Today was simply the first day, but there was hussle and bussle everywhere.

She was surprised to learn from Ozpin that today was just a day for the new students to get acquainted with the school grounds and the old ones to just settle back in their dorms. By noon all new students are to report to the auditorium and await further instructions.

She honestly had no idea what to do now until then. She had spent the last couple of minutes wandering around, getting an occasional greetings from other students. She's never been in this large of a crowd before. It kind of scared her, but she could push that fear down a bit.

There were people showing off their weapons, some were simply chatting, some were heading to more secluded areas. Amber gulped as the many students were becoming acquainted with one another, and this is all happening at the front of the school. It would make it seem that not a lot of people actually went in to the academy itself.

She wanted to talk to people, but there was this nagging feeling that always occured in the back of her mind. It reminded her of who- no, what she was. Is it really worth the risk- Amber shook her head. She's got to ignore that voice in her head. However, even if she ignored the nagging feeling, that didn't mean she had the courage to walk up to a group of people.

Maybe she could start off slow, maybe find one person alone, like herself right now. Amber just realized how depressing that sounds.

She gave a sigh as she weaved through the crowds, trying her best to try and find a person by themselves. It honestly didn't take long for her to give up and sit down on an open bench. She sighed as put her hands on her head, this was a lot harder than she thought. However, she said she was ready for this and chose to come here. If she can't prove that she can survive in society she'll just be isolated from it once again. Not to mention it is supposed to be an easy day, it would be strange if she gave up on her choice without going to any classes.

Amber took a deep breath and sat up straight, before sighing and slumping down again. She could only wonder what Jack was doing. He was probably giving candy to whomever he wanted. Her stomach growled at the prospect. Now she wanted candy, or food. Whichever one worked best.

"I don't like crowds either."

Amber raised a brow as she just realized that another soul was right next to her. He probably just sat down, because she was sure she was the only one on the bench earlier. She turned her head to see.. and odd looking fellow.

He wore a short sleeve black shirt with a white long sleeve shirt underneath, the word SMILE was written across the shirt. He had sandals and baggy jeans. Strangely, he seemed to wear a beanie with a unique looking symbol on his head, it covered his eyes completely. She needed to get a good look at it later. She could see a bit of red hair slightly coming out of the beanie.

"Y-yeah." Amber admitted to the stranger.

"People are usually afraid of crowds because there are so many people. One could get lost very easily. Or you can feel very alone in a large crowd." He sighed, "It can't get any more truer for me. In a lot more ways than one."

Amber swallowed a bit, now was her chance. It's now or never, "My name is Amber." She held out her hand.

A small second of silence passed, before the stranger smiled, "Nice to meet you. I'm Rideat Dente. In case you can't tell, I'm blind. At least, it hurts to keep my eyes open."

Amber raised a brow.

"Don't worry, I can 'see' you, I just can't see you. It's hard to explain, but I can just see you just raised your brow a bit."

"That's… impressive." Amber didn't exactly know how to word her thoughts at the moment.

A long silence passed between the two, Amber having no idea what to say. However as she got a better look at the blind student, she noticed that one of his arms looked quite peculiar.

"You know, it usually takes a shorter amount of time for people to notice my arm." Rideat smirked a bit

"Oh." Amber nodded.

Another moment of silence passed between the two.

"Are you not going to ask?"

It was clear that it was common for people to question about his arm. Naturally anyone would question it, but Amber decided against it. She simply shook her head.

Rideat seemed to smirk, "I don't mind people asking me about my arm, at least at this point anyway. However, I do appreciate it when people don't ask about it, genuinely of course. I can tell that your gesture is genuine."

Amber once again smiled back to the blind man. It honestly reminded her of the stories where a great swordsman is blind, but is still a great swordsman. It just shows that even if one is blind, they can find ways to not be blind.

"So, we're supposed to gather around in the auditorium?"

"Yes." Amber replied.

Rideat maneuvered his head back and forth, "Do you mind leading the way? I can't manuveted that well against crowds."

"Alright." Amber replied as she got up from the bench, holding a hand out for the blind student.

"I'll follow behind, just lead the way." Rideat said as he used Amber's hand to get up.

"So, uh… have any books you… oh right." Amber asked as she began to lead the way, before remembering who she was dealing with.

"Don't worry, I can read books in low light. I can also see words that are close enough to me, or if I focus enough I can 'see' a bit farther. So, what are your favorite books? Mine are philosophical like ones and ones where the lesson is to accept change." It was clear Rideat didn't mind the blunder.

Amber seemed to give a sigh of relief as she continued leading the way. She was pretty sure she made a new friend, "Fairytales are my favorite type of stories. Ones that involve heroism are also my favorite."

The two would continue to chat as they made their way towards the auditorium.

…..

"So, you're the fabled security guard. Mr. Wynand, was it?"

A bit of a pudgy man, with a moustache and gray hair, plus a red suit, walked into the security room.

Jack nodded his head.

"I am dutifully sorry for not meeting you earlier. I am Professor Port one of the Grimm Studies teachers. I must say it is great to actually have a security staff. After all not only is it your duty to make sure no unsavory characters are on school grounds, but it is also your duty to protect the students from themselves. I believe in the motto, 'The most dangerous thing that will harm you, is yourself'." The man was quick to speak.

Jack's brows raised in surprise. That is a motto that he knows rings true. He's seen it and heard of it firsthand, "Those are very wise words Professor."

"Indeed. I first heard of that motto when I was a little lad. First thing in the morning I would recite it."

Jack nodded.

Professor Port chuckled, "Welp, I can't stay here forever. I've got to prepare my lessons. If you ever find the time, do stop by to listen to tales of virtuous deeds. Every generation must hear of the great deeds of the old, so that they wish to strive for it." With that Professor Port left. He appeared then just left. Oh well, Jack might stop by from time to time.

Jack stood from his chair to move a few things around, namely some chairs.

"Whoa, I didn't know a room like this existed. Was this here before?" Jack turned around to see a teenager, a student by the looks of it.

"Hello." Jack said as he sat back down.

The teen looked around the room and whistled, "So, you're the new security guard? Don't worry, I won't get into any trouble here. The name's Mark Meltzer by the way."

"Jack Wynand." Jack took a second to think, "You're the one Amber talked about." Amber had told him about the person who was helping her prepare.

"You know her? I didn't expect-" Mark took a second to get a look at Jack's features, brown hair and brown eyes, "Hang on a second. Are you her father?"

Jack shook his head.

"Oh." Meltzer muscles seemed to lax, "Well if you aren't her father, then you must be Mr. Bubbles."

Mark Meltzer took out his hand, "Nice to meet you Mr. Bubbles."

Jack shook the man's hand. It was a rather firm handshake.

Meltzer took a look at the candy bowl on the desk, "Can I have some?"

"Be my guest." Jack pushed the bowl of candy towards the students, to which he fished out some small chocolates.

"Thanks Mr. Bubbles. I think I'm going to come in here more often just for the candy." Meltzer chuckled as he unwrapped the chocolates and ate them.

"Whoa, this wasn't here last year." It seems that another student wandered in.

Jack would find the security room to be filled with curious students of all years. Most would take a look and leave, others would chat with him a bit. They were quickly growing accustomed to the name Mr. Bubbles.

…..

Rideat and Amber found themselves in the packed auditorium. Since it was filled with first years, one couldn't imagine how it would be if all the students came to the auditorium.

Amber made sure to maneuver slowly as Rideat was grasping her sleeves. She didn't want to have the blind student get lost in the crowd. She could see a relatively open space next to the wall. She accidentally bumped into a few people and apologized each time.

"Watch your feet." Rideat managed to say.

Amber stopped in her tracks as she saw a blond teenager on the floor. He was obviously ignored by a lot of people as there were right next to him, not giving a helping hand.

"Little help?"

Amber didn't waste any time as she quickly got the teenager to his feet, he honestly looked very average. He wore a white hoodie, had some white armor over his chest, and seemed to have a sword that protruded from his belt.

"Are you alright?"

The teen cave a cocky reassuring smirk, "Yeah.. just uh.." The smirk disappeared, "I tripped and fell, but I'm alright."

"You looked like you were on the ground for quite a while." Amber noted. Even she didn't take long to get up after tripping.

"Well I… may have been thinking about my life choices as I lay there on the ground." The teen was a bit uncomfortable.

Amber raised a brow, but didn't question his words.

"So, do you have a name?" Rideat decided to join in the conversation.

The teen blinked a couple of time, "Oh, right. Sorry about that." He awkwardly chuckled, "The name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, and rolls of the tongue, the ladies love it." He adopted an unconvincing playboy attitude.

"Jaune Arc. Jaune Arc. Jaune Arc." Amber said his name a couple of times, it didn't exactly roll off the tongue, "It really doesn't. I feel like I should be saying something in between the two names." She gave her honest opinion.

Rideat chimed in, "It feels as though it should have something like 'Jaune The Arc' or 'Jaune of Arc.'"

Jaune looked a bit sheepish, "My mother says it does… though now that I think about it, maybe she was talking about my first name?" He scratched his head.

"Then again it is your mother who said it." Rideat began to get a bit playful.

Jaune grew a smirk, "Hey, I'll have you know I'm a pure mama's boy." He didn't seemed to be embarrassed at his self proclamation.

Rideat shook his head in amusement, he'll just let Jaune sort that statement out.

Amber quickly realized she didn't introduce herself, "Oh! Sorry, my name is Amber. It's a pleasure to meet you, Jaune "

"I'm Rideat Dente. Do you want to walk with us?"

"Sure." Jaune happily agreed.

The three made their way towards an area near the wall that had a little more elbow room, they could even sit down if they wanted, to which they actually did.

"Whoa, you're actually blind?" Jaune was surprised at the revelation.

"Yes, but I'm not blind at the same time."

"How does that work?"

Rideat gave the same explanation to Jaune as the one he gave to Amber.

Jaune stared blankly, "What?"

"I don't understand it either." Amber admitted, it was just confusing.

Rideat scratched his head, "Think of it like this. You can see everything around you, not through your eyes, but almost like it's a camera view only you can see."

"Oh, like a 3rd person video game." Jaune quickly connected the dots.

"Yeah, I guess. Don't know much about video games, because my eyes will quickly burn, but at least you get it."

"Wait. I thought you were blind?"

"I technically am. I can still see a bit through my eyes, but it burns if I keep them open for a long period of time."

Amber tilted her head a bit. 'What's a video game?' She thought as the two continued.

"Speaking of seeing. You in the bow. Why're just staring at us? I know the difference between scrutinizing stares and curiosity stares, so don't try to say you didn't mean to." Rideat 'looked' at a woman in black with a bow in her hair.

The woman in the bow didn't answer as she opted to just walk away.

"She was probably checking you out." Jaune naively suggested.

Rideat shook his head, "No, she was observing me carefully. I could feel it." Rideat stood from his position, "I'll see you two later. I've got to go talk to someone." It would seem his disdain towards crowds vanished as he focused his sights on something new.

"Alright, see ya." Jaune said.

"Bye." Amber waved.

Rideat somehow disappeared into the crowd quickly, there was no sign of him.

"Hey, Jaune? I've got a question to ask." Amber said.

"Yes? What is it?" Strangely, there was a hopeful glee in his eyes.

Amber swallowed, "What's a vi-" Amber couldn't finish as it would appear that Ozpin was on an elevated stage and quickly tested the microphone.

"Hello. Testing." Ozpin said, the sound echoed throughout the room, silencing all of the conversations in the room.

As soon as Ozpin was sure that everyone quieted down he began, "I'll keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction." He paused.

"The hell is he talking about?" The students murmured about

"Wasted energy?" A lot sounded annoyed by that.

"Wait, my whole life? I picked the wrong career." It was obvious that someone was joking around, "Wait a second." At least, hopefully joking.

Ozpin didn't allow the murmurs to go any further as he made his voice the most important in the room, "You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step." Ozpin left the brief speech on that and slowly walked away.

Amber didn't know what to think about the speech. She wasn't speechless per say, but Ozpin was a bit confusing. Then again, it's almost his style to be confusing.

"Any idea on what that was about?" Jaune asked her.

"No." Amber shook her head.

Glynda walked up to the microphone, "You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed." She then followed Ozpin.

The students once again continued on with what they were doing.

"Huh? Thought it was going to be today, but it's a saving grace for us, right?"

Amber shrugged.

Jaune sighed, "You don't talk much, do you?"

Amber coughed a bit, "Sorry. I really don't have many friends." She sheepishly said.

Jaune noticed her plight, "There's no need to apologize. I'm pretty sure I can be your friend." He smiled.

Amber's attitude lit up a bit, "Really?"

"Yeah."

She smiled, "Thank you." Jaune may not know it, but it really means a lot to the girl.

"Hello again, Jaune!" Amber noticed a black and reddish haired girl behind Jaune.

The girl wore black and red all over. She seemed to be wearing a sort of red hood, black and red dress, with a combat skirt, she didn't know how to exactly describe the attire. However, her most striking feature was her silver eyes. For some reason, Amber couldn't help but feel a bit on edge. Seeing those eyes seemed to stun her a bit, as if she knows to be weary around her, even if her current demeanor is cheerful. What the heck is happening?

"Who's this?" The cheerful girl decided to sit with the three of them. It would appear that Amber missed a conversation between Jaune and the silver eyed girl.

"Ruby, this is Amber. Amber, Ruby." Jaune introduced the girls to one another.

"Hi, Amber. My name is Ruby Rose, it's nice to meet you." Ruby extended her hand out for Amber to shake.

Amber seemed to hesitate, her instincts were telling her not to associate with the girl. For what reason was that? This girl was just being friendly. She could only chalk it up to herself still being on edge about talking to people and making friends, but then why did she connect with Jaune easily? Once again it was her instincts telling her not to do it. It was more of a hostile edge, than a nervous one.

"Hey, are you all in there? Hello?" Ruby grew a bit discomforted at the long silence.

Amber shook her head, "I'm sorry. It's nice to meet you Ruby." She still hesitated a bit, but their hands quickly met and shook. However, their hands didn't separate for a solid couple of seconds. The two blankly stared at one another, trying to gaze into one another souls. Both of their hands unconsciously squeezed as hard as they could on one another.

"Hey, are you two alright." Jaune noticed the uncomfortably long gazes.

Amber and Ruby blinked and separated their hands after a couple of seconds. Their previous demeanors wore off as they acted as if nothing happened, as if they only registered that they shook hands and nothing else. They were making some small talk right afterwards.

Jaune actually stood silent on the matter, he wasn't sure if they would even remember staring at each other for a long period of time. The way they just looked at each other was with a strangely natural animosity to one another. It was like they were natural rivals ready to kill each other. He could've sworn he saw their eyes glow for a second as they stared at each other.

Ruby nor Amber knew why they were feeling a bit on edge near one another. They were even getting along with one another quite quickly, it was like they just had instincts to be weary around one another for whatever reason. They equally hated this small feeling, yet they couldn't put it into exact words. It felt substantial, yet inconsequential. Neither of them have any reason to hate each other as of yet.

In the middle of their conversation Amber pulled out her camera, Ruby smiled and got right next to Amber, adding Jaune into the mix. The three took a picture for their newfound friendship. Maybe the feeling of animosity would go away soon? It could just be chalked up to strange first impressions. Or meeting unknown people. Then again, Jaune, Rideat, and Meltzer.

"I keep hearing about this new security guard. I want to go see him. My sister, Yang, said something about him, but she doesn't want to see him for some reason. Do you wanna go see him?" Ruby seemed to have run out of things to talk about, she already wandered the school a bit, so it wouldn't hurt to see the security guard, maybe a few teachers if possible.

"Sure." Amber knew full well who the security guard is. She needed to move around anyway, her guard was still a bit up around the girl though.

The two didn't wait for Jaune's input as they quickly made their way out of the auditorium. They appeared to keep a distance from one another, yet never too far or too close. Jaune wasn't sure whether to follow them to see what would happened, or to stay put and preserve his own skin if he's caught in a strange crossfire. He would dwindle on this thought for too long as they were already gone.

Jaune sighed, "Once again I find myself alone." Jaune just noticed that Rideat actually returned a little bit after the girls left, "Hey, Rideat. Did you have any luck?"

"No, I lost her in the crowd. Too many people to keep track of one person."

Jaune only raised a brow, "Are you absolutely sure she wasn't checking you out?"

A brisk silence followed, "Yeah, point taken." Jaune nervously scratched his hand.

….

"Mr. Bubbles." Amber seemed to fondly say to the man. She wore a smile.

"Hey, Amber." The man responded.

Ruby meanwhile couldn't help but noticed something weird. Namely the way they interacted. She could kind of see the resemblance, brown hair and brown eyes, but not much else. Then again she didn't look much like her dad either.

"Hello." Jack said to Ruby.

Ruby shook herself out of her thoughts as she quickly extended her hand out, "Hi, I'm Ruby. Ruby Rose."

"Jack Wynand."

"I thought your last name was Bubbles?" What with Amber calling him that and all.

"That's what the children call me."

"So a nickname?"

Jack nodded.

Ruby couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed with that. It's kind of hilarious to have your last name be Bubbles. It would also be an awesome contrast to the name Amber. When you think of two names they would fit together well, not ones that are polar opposite. Amber Bubbles would be a strangely satisfying name, two polar opposite names. But, bold warrior would have to do.

Ruby noted that Mr. Bubbles had a nice ring to it. She finally noticed the candy bowl. There were small cookies, wrapped in an equally small plastic bag. They couldn't be bigger than the size of her pinky, but they looked delicious all the same.

"May I?"

Jack slightly pushed the bowl closer towards her. She didn't waste a second as she quickly took the tiny cookies.

"Thank you, Mr. Bubbles." She found herself adopting the nickname.

…

 **Strangely took a while to get this one done, guess it was just ideas bouncing around in my head trying to take form. Oh well, here's the next chapter.**

 **Give credit to The Baz for his OCs Rideat and a certain other man. If you've read a certain story by The Baz you would probably know who these two are. I thank you for allowing me to use them.**

 **Next chapter should be fun, yay.**

 **…...**

 **Friends are strength. LV0-LV1. You gain a boost in combat performance with the more friends that fight alongside you.**

 **Silver Eyes, Ruby Rose. LV0-LV1.** **? Unknown advantage or disadvantage? Further research needed.**

 _I don't understand why, but I feel the incredible urge to stay away from her. I even feel the urge to harm her, an incredible sense of hostility. I don't know why I feel this way. I just hope it goes away soon. It feels almost like I'm afraid of her, like she could negate anything I could do if I ever use my powers on her…. Why would I even think to harm her with my powers?_


	9. Chapter 9

_"What I think about the mainland above? They're all parasites of course. Atlas is just a military dictatorship with no merits. Vacuo is full of Anarchists, who don't do anything in life. The thieving kingdom doesn't deserve to be named. Vale is an entity with power, but never does anything with it. And Menagerie is a place of self loathing, a place of pity for faunus that wish for change, but never do anything about it. I don't even think they realize what Menagerie means."_

 _"What do you think of Faunus, Mr. Ryan?"_

 _"As long as they're willing to work, Rapture can be theirs. A man is always entitled to the sweat of his brow, no matter who he is."_

…..

"Amber, do you have a last name?"

"Shouldn't you know it, Professor Ozpin?"

"Indeed I do, but is it a name that you want?"

"No."

"I see, do you have any ideas for a last name you want?"

"No?"

"I see, that's all I wanted to speak with you about. I shall provide you with a last name by tomorrow. I'll try to think of a good one for you."

"Thank you."

"See you tomorrow. I hope you are ready and prepared for the initiation."

…..

Amber looked to her left and right, students of all kinds formed a neat line, standing on pads, over a cliff, pointing out towards the forests below.

Ruby stood next to her, excited to get the initiation started. A couple of pads down Ruby's sister, Yang, confidently made punching motions with her arms.

To the other side of her she could see Jaune a couple of pads down, he was a bit nervous taking a couple of glances at everyone else around him. At the end she could see Rideat, crossing his arms and concentrating. Or at least that's what she perceives, he could just be thinking for all she knows.

Directly in front of them were Ozpin, Glynda, and surprisingly Jack. She could only guess he came to give her luck, a smile crept on her face at the thought.

The students were chattering among themselves, all having varying degrees of conversation.

"Okay, keep your cool, Ruby. It'll all be worth it in the end. Just don't do anything stupid right now." Ruby talked to herself, she fidgeted almost ready to burst. She took a look at Amber, "I really hope you're on my team." A smile radiated from the cheerful girl.

Amber strangely hesitated, but returned the smile, "Me too."

Whatever conversations that were going on immediately stopped as Ozpin cleared his throat, "Thank you for your attention. You see for years the Emerald Forest has been used to test the mettle and determination of all those who wish to join Beacon. This year shall be no different, as this tried and true method shows who has the right to be here and exposes those who do not."

Glynda immediately took over, "All of you will be tasked to find a temple and collect the relics that reside there. Each year we have different relics and different locations, as to prevent students from thinking they know what to do and where to go in case they get answers from upperclassmen."

Ozpin took the spotlight back, "The forest will be teeming with Grimm, so be on guard at all times. If you're not cut out for this, don't bother coming back."

"Once you have collected the relic, you must find a way back to Beacon. It shouldn't be too hard to see where to go, climb a tree or two."

Ozpin took a deep breath, "One more thing we must address is the rumor of assignment of teams. We're going to address this here and now."

A tense silence filled itself in the atmosphere, one could hear the audible gulps of many students.

Glynda adjusted her glasses, "First you will be getting a partner, that partner will be the first person you know of on your team. Then we will decide who you two partner up with to become a four person team, based on certain factors. Your partner will be the first person you make eye contact with in the Emerald Forest." Glynda actually paused to take a glance at Rideat, "Or at least the first person you meet."

Amber nodded her head, it seemed to make sense. To her neighbor it was a different story. Ruby had a mini freak out and one could almost hear the girl's heart break at the facts presented.

Ozpin took a sip of his coffee, "Now without further ado, let the initiation begin. We'll launch you into the forest, so you must develop your own landing strategy. Good luck."

Amber took a look at the pad below her feet. It didn't seem like it would be a launch pad.

One by one the students were launched into the air, seemingly at random. Her neighbor was quickly launched before Amber. A lot of them were confident enough to give cheers as they were launched in the air.

Oh, she just remembered something! She took a look to see Jaune was still on the his pad, he was nervous, "Jaune." His worries disappeared as he looked towards her, "What's a video-"

Unfortunately, Jaune was launched into the air as she was about to finish. It didn't take long for Amber to be the last one left on the cliffside.

"Amber, be careful. If you can't handle what's thrown at you, make a run for it. Do take care not to do anything reckless."

"Yes." She nodded and took one final glance at Jack. He smiled and he had a thumb up. That was all she needed to boost her confidence. All she needed to know was that someone believed in her.

Amber found herself launched into the air by the mechanism that was below her feet. She could see the few shapes of people quickly disappear below the trees. Gravity regained control as she plummeted into the forest.

Her landing strategy was simple, just tuck and roll once she hit the ground, but it was immediately thrown out the window as she landed on an unsuspecting Ursa. It immediately died, evident from the fact that it was already disintegrating.

She immediately pulled out her staff as she took a look at her surroundings. She had been taught by previous 'caretakers' on how to combat Grimm. The main thing she should focus on are the trees, her objective, and her back.

She carefully maneuvered around the forest, taking care not to let her guard down. That would be the last thing she would want to do in the forest. She let out sigh, pushing on through the forest.

She honestly shouldn't have been surprised when a Beowolf charged her. She acted purely on instinct to block its claws with her staff. She actually shoved the beast back a bit, no doubt only possible with the strength added from her aura. It wasn't time to think about that though as she quickly went on the offensive.

She maneuvered the staff with a type of elegance and bashed it on the monster's head. She would not give it time to react as she would bring up the other end of her staff and striked the beast upward. With a quick twirl she managed to get a bit of distance from the beast.

She would not allow it to have any time for reprieve, she simply pointed one end of the staff at the Beowolf and used the Dust Crystal at the end of it. With a simple push of a button on her staff the Dust Crystal let out a sharp gust of wind, actually slicing the Beowolf's head in twain. It immediately started to dissolve afterwords.

Amber lowered her shoulders and let out a sigh. However, she immediately put her defenses back up. Now was not the time to let her guard down. She swirled around, looking left and right. She needed to be careful of its pack. Everyone knows that they're never alone, no Beowolf is ever alone.

Her eyes stopped on a bush, red eyes were glowing from it. Then she could see about a dozen more from the treelines. Her eyes actually went wide and she quickly fired another gust of razor sharp winds. The good news was that she took out two, the bad news was that there were still more. The pack slowly and steadily crept closer, some dispersing to the sides.

Amber would not find herself staring dumbfounded, that would be a rookie mistake. No, she did the sensible thing. She turned tail and ran. No amount of training or stories from previous 'caretakers' can prepare herself for an actual combat situation.

…..

Ozpin smiled as he looked at the live camera footage, "It's refreshing to see that Amber has the instincts to live. Most people her age would try to confidently take on a pack by themselves."

Jack looked up from his feed. A brow was raised.

"They either defeat the pack by themselves or end up retreating after their badly wounded. Yes children, it's a 'great' idea to take on an entire pack by yourself. You're not even Huntsmen yet, don't take too many risks." Ozpin sighed and took a sip of coffee.

Jack took a look at Glynda, she sighed as well. It would appear that she had the same woes, "There's nothing inherently wrong with defeating a pack by yourself, it is a great show of strength and potential. However, the way most of them do it is… sloppy to say the least."

Ozpin chuckled, "Attack first, strategize later. They usually just charge straight in, not accounting for the plethora of options they may have at their disposal. They don't usually see the bigger picture."

"And that's one of the many things they'll learn." It was a statement, Jack saw where Ozpin was heading.

"Exactly Mr. Wynand, or is it appropriate to say Mr. Bubbles?"

Jack shrugged.

Glynda switched between multiple camera feeds on her tablet, "It would appear that most of the students have paired up."

Ozpin did the same, "Interesting match ups. Ms. Rose and Ms. Schnee. Ms. Nikos and Mr. Arc. Mr. Cygnus and Mr. Dente." Ozpin continued on.

"Something tells me you say that every year." Jack inquired.

"He does." Glynda confirmed.

"It is always interesting to see complete strangers team up. To see if they fit together like a glove or tear each others throats out. They'll learn to get over it as they progress through the year, learning the value of teamwork."

Before he could continue Glynda coughed, "Professor Ozpin. I believe there is still an initiation going on."

"Of course, Glynda."

"Errm. Hello. New security guard. Come to the dining hall immediately, we have a small problem." A voice said over a radio on Jack's side. He actually said it pretty fast.

Ozpin looked towards Jack, "You heard Professor Oobleck, Mr. Wynand, hurry now."

"Coming." Jack replied as he quickly walked towards the school.

"What do you think the problem is?" Glynda asked.

Ozpin shrugged as he went back to the camera feeds. He simply took another sip of coffee.

Glynda sighed and went back to the camera feeds as well. Her eyes narrowed in annoyance.

…...

Amber was not going to check behind her to see if she was safe. The quick answer would be no as she could hear the many growls of the pack behind her, chasing her relentlessly through the forest.

She successfully reduced the pack to at least eight, after taking a few pot shots with her Dust Crystal, before it was exhausted from over use. It was useless now. One should note that you can't just expect to hit accurately behind you when running.

She was quickly running out of breath, but that wouldn't stop her now. Her life was on the line, she can deal with exhaustion later.

She was sure the Grimm would not let her get a moment of rest. However, she was going to get one anyway. She heard a sharp crack and the howl of a Beowolf. She heard another crack and another howl. She was saved! Someone was shooting the Beowolves!

She actually managed to stop and turn around, the remaining pack quickly scattered as two of their own quickly dissolved. They didn't run away, they were just hiding.

"Hey, you alright?" A male approached her, he actually dropped down from the trees.

"Yes, thank you." Amber nodded.

Now that she had a better look at him she noticed he was a very tanned individual. He wore somethings that she could see Mr. Bubbles wearing. He had a lapis overcoat, some nice trousers, and black leather gloves, he had some black gauntlet looking things on his arm too. All he was missing was a bowler cap and he could qualify for a mobster.

The male's rifle quickly changed into a halberd and he smiled. He turned ready to face the ever approaching remnants of the pack. Now it should be six.

Amber readied herself as well, it would be rude to leave him to fight alone. She gained a boost of confidence from the help.

The male quickly brought the halberd down onto the head of one that immediately charged him. Amber quickly came to his aid as another tried to jump him, as his axe was lodged in the dissolving head.

Amber managed to parry the incoming Beowolf, before unleashing a small barrage of jabs at another, ending with her bashing its head in.

The male managed to get his halberd out and took out another one, simply chopping its head off like an executioner. He turned his attention to one creeping behind Amber and threw the heavy axe at it.

Amber quickly turned just in time to see the Beowolf slump to the ground with the halberd jammed into it. She turned to her left and flipped used the other end of her staff to light one on fire.

Now there was one left, it was being cautious. Amber actually jumped towards it, taking the offensive. It tried to swing its claws, but a quick jab to the face disoriented it. The male followed up by punching the Beowolf in the face, a mini explosion occurred and its head was simply no more.

The two let in a few gasps of air, before they both cooled down to controlled breathing. The male retrieved his halberd and looked at Amber, "I guess you're my partner." He smiled.

She couldn't help but smile back at his friendly demeanor. She gave a simple nod.

"The name's Lapis J. Anderson. I hope we can get along for these next four years." He extended his hand, his sky blue eyes showing no ill intention.

"Amber." She simply said, returning the handshake.

She actually noticed that he had three scars from a Beowolf's claws on his face, however she didn't feel the need to question it at this moment.

Lapis mused a bit and placed a hand on his chin, he wore a smirk while doing it. He wasn't looking at Amber while he was doing it though, this just left the two in a strange silence. He looked up at the sky and the direction of the trees.

Amber actually knew what he was doing, he was determining the direction they were in and where to head to. She herself doesn't understand how it works, but she's seen enough 'caretakers' do it to familiarize herself with it. If it were up to her, she wouldn't know which direction she would take.

Lapis suddenly pointed in a seemingly random direction, "If we take this way we should be heading west. I think that's where everyone else would be heading anyway."

"Alright." She going to argue with someone that seems to know what they're doing.

The two would head deeper into the forest. They carefully marched through the overgrowth of trees and foliage. They didn't want to be caught off guard by the Grimm.

"Nice weapon you got there." Lapis initiated some small talk.

Amber could only raise a brow, only to realize they weren't looking face to face, "Hmm?" It was a quick muse.

Lapis took it as a form of acknowledgement, "Does it have a mechashift?"

"No." Amber denied, it was just a glorified staff with two ends that could take any Dust Crystal.

It was Lapis' turn to muse a bit, "Ah. Does it have a name?"

Honestly, she never thought of a name to give her weapon. It didn't seem that important to name your weapon, at least to her. Though in another part of her mind she didn't think the staff could be named yet, she was thinking she needed to do something else to be able to properly name her weapon.

"No."

Lapis just nodded, "Alright."

"Did you name your weapon?"

"Of course." Lapis gave a thumbs up, lifting his halberd, "I call this baby the Moonlit Butterfly." He quickly shifted it into its rifle mode before shifting it back to halberd mode and placing it on his back. He placed his arms up next, showing off the black gauntlets on his wrists, "These are the Black Butterflies, explosive they're explosive gauntlets."

"Isn't that a bit dangerous?" Amber noted the absurdity of having explosives on your wrists.

"Nearly took my arms off in initial testing. It took me forever to find the right balance of explosives. I'm surprised I don't have mechanical arms at this point, I know I would've gone balls to the walls with explosive power." After his explanation he quickly shifted the Black Butterflies into small submachine guns he didn't give much of an explanation on what those were, "They're just for clearing the room."

The two would continue to have some pleasant small conversations. They still made sure to be on guard though, but since there are two of them they knew they had each others backs in case anything dastardly happened.

…..

"What's the problem?" Jack asked. He really hoped it wasn't anything too serious.

The professor known as Oobleck was quickly all up in his face. The green haired professor examined Jack through his thick glasses. He seemed to zip all around the man, examining every bit of Jack's body, "Well toned face, a bit of muscle, a nice white sweater, and a unique chain tattoo. I can tell you're definitely the security guard. Pleased to meet you Mr. Wynand." Oobleck stated as quickly as he could.

Jack didn't question the methods of the professor, he's seen weirder, "Hello." was his simple response.

"At first I didn't see why we needed a security guard. What a strange new addition I would say to myself." Oobleck seemed to speed around Jack, "Then it hit me. Why would there not be a reason to have a security guard! We have no reason to have one, but we don't have a reason to not have one. Once you factor in certain elements and-" Oobleck seemed to zip around subjects speaking as fast as he could, he paused for a bit to take a sip from a thermos, not doubt filled with coffee. Jack could probably see where he got his energy from.

"Professor, what's the problem?" Jack reminded the very hyperactive man.

"Doctor!" Oobleck once again got all up in Jack's face.

"What?" Jack backed away a bit on instinct, he's had a bad experience with a certain doctor to be cautious of anyone with the title of doctor.

"Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck! I may teach history, but I earned my doctorate and shall be referred to as Doctor!" If Jack wasn't mistaken he may have struck a nerve by accident.

"What's the problem, Doctor?" Jack fixed his words.

Dr. Oobleck calmed down as soon as Jack used the correct words. He fixated himself rather quickly, "I've already sent the perpetrator to the security room. She'll be awaiting further discipline at your progression."

Jack could only raise a brow at this, "And you expect her to actually go to the security room on her own?"

"I can assure you Ms. Scarlatina is an obedient student. She'll be at the security room before you know it."

Jack just shook his head and walked away. Guess he'll just take his word for it, Oobleck may be avery hyperactive man, but he seems honest.

"See you around Mr. Wynand! Or should I say Mr. Bubbles as a majority of the students affectionately call you? Oh well." Oobleck took a sip out of his thermos and sped away, probably to do a few laps around the world.

The halls really do get smaller as one gets used to the school. He practically found himself walking across a majority of the large campus in a quick and successful manor with a lot of time to spare. He arrived back at the security room in no time, outside the door was the perpetrator in question. She seemed to timidly sit on the seat next to it, scared of what was in store for her. She was a rabbit faunus and it appeared that her motif was brown, judging from her hair color and clothes. Jack's mind flashed to a flooded room, a woman with a rabbit mask, that seemed to extend the ears just a bit on the mask, was pretending to be dead on a ruined sofa. It was almost too obvious she was faking her death.

Jack resisted the urge to try to sneak around and set a trap for her. He wasn't in danger here, even if the denizens of a certain other place had a lot of animal motifs. He shook his head as he calmly approached the faunus.

She looked up from her seat, "H-Hello."

It was clear from the tone of her voice that she was obviously someone that never got in trouble much and wanted to avoid hostile interactions with people as much as possible. Jack opened the door to the room and tilted his head to the side. He immediately walked in afterword.

The girl followed, nervously entering the room and seating herself across from the desk. She let out a few deep breaths, then pulled out a camera and nervously fidgeted with it. She maneuvered her finger around the focus of the camera, repeatedly spinning it back and forth.

Jack took a seat and pushed the candy bowl towards the girl. She gulped and looked at Jack, he simply nodded. She really wasn't looking for anything specific and took whatever was at the top. He kept it outwards towards the girl in case she wanted any more. Jack patiently waited for her to eat a few of the pieces of candy that she grabbed. After she did she calmed down a little.

"So, what happened?" Jack inquired in a soft voice. He didn't want to frighten her.

This did the trick as the girl sighed, "I didn't mean to cause anything. I tripped and accidentally pulled down a girl's skirt. She started to shout at me, before my team leader stepped in shouted back, it almost got to the point where they might actually duke it out. A teacher took notice of this and asked who was responsible. I took the blame for the incident and here I am now. I'm sorry." She gulped once again, wondering what sort of punishment awaited her.

Jack sighed, "Alright, just be careful next time. There are people that would kill for less offenses, accident or not."

The girl tilted her head.

Jack didn't follow up with anything, but he could see the girl give a sigh of relief. Her posture immediately loosened and she didn't have a face of complete worry anymore. She's just a girl that didn't want any trouble.

"Do you mind if I stay here a bit? I think it would be a bit embarrassing to go back right now."

Jack nodded his head and tapped the candy bowl. The girl delightfully took some more, her attitude was completely changed.

"I take it you're Mr. Bubbles?"

Jack nodded.

The girl quietly munched on the few chocolates in her mouth and swallowed. "I'm Velvet Scarlatina, a member of team CFVY (Coffee). We're second years."

Jack nodded, before he shifted his focus on the camera that lay on her lap, "You take pictures?"

Velvet gave the object in her lap a look over, she placed it on the desk so Jack could get a better look. He gave it an inspection himself, what with being familiar with a camera and all that.

"I do, but a majority of the camera shots are filled with action. They're for a secret project." She placed a finger on her lips asking Jack not to tell, "I actually do have an eye for photography. I love getting the perfect shots."

Jack faced the lenses towards Velvet and raised a brow. She smiled, closed her eyes, and tilted her head for the camera. He waited for a few seconds, before the flash went off and he took the picture. He handed it back to Velvet.

"You're a natural at this." Velvet stated as she looked at her own picture, "Good framework, perfect lighting, and at an angle that seems to capture my smile perfectly."

Jack smiled, "I know a girl, Amber, who has also taken an interest in photography. She's actually taking the initiation right now." Jack powered on his monitor from sleep mode and would go through some steps to get the current feed of the initiation.

"Oh, really?" Velvet had a smile on her face, "Maybe we can share pictures from time to time?"

Jack tilted the monitor towards Velvet, showing the current feed of Amber and Lapis, it would appear that they were still walking through the forest.

Velvet looked between the monitor and Jack, between Amber and Jack specifically, "You're daughter's lovely."

Jack shook his head, this is about the fifth or so person to assume Amber was his daughter, "I'm her guardian."

Velvet sheepishly smirked, "Sorry, I just assumed."

Jack didn't say anything else as he looked at the monitor once again, flipping through the feeds to see what was going on with the other students.

"The first years are something else this year." Velvet commented, "Granted I was just one myself last year, so I have no idea what everyone was like did during initiation." She chuckled a bit and earned a small smirk from Jack.

A strange realization came to light as he continued to watch the feeds, where was his gun? He wasn't going to pull it on the students ever, but he didn't know where his gun was. It was the principle of the matter. He probably left it in his room for all he knows.

…..

"Hey, I see some ruins up ahead." Lapis said.

Amber sighed in relief as the monotonous pace of going through the trees was honestly starting to bore her. One can only stay on guard for so long. She actually started sprinting ahead.

It would appear that they weren't the only ones there as she recognized Rideat and someone else stood right next to him, no doubt his partner. The duo quickly ran up to the ruins to meet with the other two souls.

They noted the fact that there may have been an intense battle that occured. There were sharp feathers of a Nevermore stuck to the ground, some kicked holes in the ground, and a large wall of ice for some reason. If they were to look out far enough they could see that part of the forest was burning, if the smoke wasn't any indication.

"Good to see you again, Amber." Rideat said to the girl as she finally made it to the ruins.

"You too." She said, gasping a bit for air.

Amber looked towards Rideat's partner. He actually wore a fancy looking hat, some long sleeve dress shirt with a long dress coat as well, he actually looked a lot like a gentleman. On his arm was a shield she could assume, but it looked kind of small to be one, however a shield is a shield. His his hilt was a Saber that looked like one of those things you'd see in a painting of a captain's choice of weapon on horseback.

"Nice hat." Amber seemed to admire the hat a bit.

"Thank you."

"Cool arm!" Lapis said to Rideat.

"Thank you." Rideat took the compliment rather well.

A long silence befell on the quartet. The wind slowly picked up to barely ruffle the hat man's hat.

The hat man coughed a bit, easing away from the silence, "I think introductions are in order, Ladies and Gentlemen. So allow me to start off. I'm Zinc Cygnus, rhymes with sync, sink, and beak and so much more." Zinc seemed to laugh at his own joke. Not in a posh sort of manor, but it was in a sort of awkward manor one would try to keep oneself composed in. He was just as nervous.

"Rideat Dente, the blindest fighter you'll ever meet." Rideat joined a bit on the fun.

"Lapis J. Anderson, the one with the scars." Lapis pointed at his face and crossed his arms.

"Amber." She was quick and to the point, she wasn't sure what to add, "The… winds of cutting?"

No one seemed to have a problem with her small bit of hesitation, it didn't harm anyone. The group smiled at one another, the silence in the air was no long awkward.

"I'm pretty sure these are the relics." Zinc pointed to the pedestals that held only white pawns from a chess board, "I think we're the last ones to get here."

Lapis walked up to one of the pedestals and grabbed one of the pawns, Zinc did the same.

"Now we have to head back to Beacon." Rideat stated.

Amber sighed, "Into the forest again."

"Don't worry. We'll probably get back to Beacon in no time." Zinc tried to reassure Amber.

It was then that Amber wished she kept her mouth shut as the group could see an Ursa Major come out of the trees. It simply just towered a bit over the trees. The bear like Grimm seemed to already be injured as evident from it's skull mask being a bit broken and some cuts along its body.

The quartet readied their weapons on instinct. Amber maneuvered her staff, Lapis changed his halberd into a rifle, Zinc pulled out his sword, and Rideat raised his mechanical arm.

"Be careful it's injured, probably on the brink of death. It probably got into a scuffle with another Grimm and ran away."

"What was it again? A creature is more dangerous when wounded and cornered?" Lapis inquired.

No one charged the injured beast yet.

"Everyone stay cautious. Lapis we'll need you to provide covering fire. Amber, do you think you can channel enough aura to hold it off with your staff? We just need it to struggle a bit and focus on someone." Zinc began to provide some semblance of strategy.

Amber wasn't going to back down when she was needed. These people needed her help and she wasn't going to hesitate to do so, "Okay."

"If you can't-"

"I can do it." Amber almost found herself shouting, "Sorry."

"No, that's good. We need that kind of motivation." Zinc finally looked at Rideat, "Let's give it all we got. It's almost dead anyway, we just need to make this quick."

Rideat gave a thumbs up.

Lapis suddenly spoke up, "Yeah, I know this is a bad time, but my other bullets were flung into the air after we were launched. I only have three left. Can't provide much supporting fire, from a distance anyway." He demonstrated by changing his Black Butterflies into their submachine gun modes, before reverting them back.

"It's alright, just make your shots count and do what you deem necessary to help out. Are we all in agreement?"

"Yes/Yeah/Alright!" Everyone agreed.

"Go. Go. Go."

It was a simple charge, with Lapis staying behind and fired one bullet to garner the attention the the Ursa Major. It was a lot bigger up close now that Amber realized it. He fired another shot, keeping it aggroed.

"Okay, Amber, you got this." Zinc said as he dashed to the side, separating from her.

"Let's do this." Rideat said as dashed to a different side.

This left Amber all alone, facing down the behemoth of a Grimm. It let out the loudest roar it could managed, seeing as Amber was closing in on it. Her mind was racing so fast as she finally got into a close enough range for it to attack her.

Time seemed to slow as the Ursa Major stood tall for a few seconds, readied its claws, and swung down towards Amber. In a moment of clarity Amber channeled her aura into a single position on her staff, her initial instinct was to use her powers to defend herself, but she needed to do this without them.

Amber was pushed back a bit into the dirt, she could feel her heels just digging into it as she was doing everything she could to block the Ursa Major's strike. With a shout of defiance she actually managed to push it back a bit, holding her ground as best as she could.

A halberd was suddenly lodged in the Grimm's arm, causing it to stagger. She could see ever so slightly behind the Ursa Major. Both Rideat and Zinc were high in the sky, descending as fast as they could, weapons as the ready. Zinc simply readied his sabre and pointed it at an angle. Rideat opted to have his mechanical arm in the shape of a fist.

The Ursa Major wouldn't know what hit it as Rideat punched its back as hard as he could and opened his hand to reveal sharp fingertips, he then proceeded to plant the fingertips as deep as he could and ride down the length of its body. Zinc meanwhile opted to plant the saber as deep as he could into it, before also sliding down another part of the Grimm's body. He suddenly pulled out a very unique looking pistol, one could describe it as a literal six shot, it was massive. All six shots fired at once into the Grimm's side, causing a massive hole to appear.

One could hear the shout of pain the Ursa Major emitted for miles on end. However, it wasn't ready to die yet. It wouldn't have time to retaliate as Lapis finally joined the fray and leapt high into the air. The Black Butterflies unleashed a barrage of bullets into the Ursa Major, before it suddenly stopped.

Amber had the lucky front row seat to see all of this happen. It was still not dead however, it was taking a lot of punishment. It was weak, yet still standing ready to fight.

Once again time seemed to slow down as Amber saw it open its mouth to let out a roar of defiance. Her eyes widened and she dropped her staff, however it wasn't out of fear. Amber reached into her cloak and pulled out a pistol she 'borrowed' from Jack. She couldn't explain what was happening, other than her having a strangely serene mind. She aimed at the Ursa Major's open mouth and fired a single shot, somehow she knew it was all she needed.

Like a poorly made tower, the Ursa Major collapsed and started to dissolve. Amber looked at the pistol in her hand and slightly wondered if she could keep it.

…

Amber nervously stood attention at the Team Naming Ceremony. To her left was Lapis. To her right was Rideat and Zinc. Turns out being one of the last people to gather the relics meant there wasn't much of a random chance for teams.

Earlier there Ruby had her team aptly named team RWBY, and she was declared the team leader.

Jaune's team was team JNPR, and he was placed as the leader. She didn't pay attention too much though as she was nervous to actually stand in front of essentially the entire school.

Rideat looked calm and composed, Lapis looked a bit excited, and Zinc was simply smiling tipping his hat to not have the lights shine upon his eyes.

After what seemed like forever, Ozpin finally stepped up to the quartet. All he did was smile, "And last, but certainly not least: Lapis Anderson, Amber Wynand, Rideat Dente, and Zinc Cygnus."

Amber was somewhat surprised that Ozpin used Mr. Bubbles actual last name as her new last name. She didn't want to use her previous last name, due to it being something that she had no reason to be attached to. Autumn was not a fitting last name for someone who wasn't raised by anyone by the last name of Autumn. She wasn't complaining about having her last name be Wynand. She liked it.

Ozpin was still talking though, "-You shall be aptly named team LARZ (Lars). With Zinc Cygnus as your leader."

Zinc actually jumped back a bit as soon as he heard this, but immediately uttered a thank you to Ozpin. Rideat smiled, Lapis clapped for the new leader, and Amber beamed as brightly as she could.

"With that we conclude this year's Naming Ceremony…" Ozpin continued on giving his hopes for this year's students and beyond. It didn't take long for the the students to quickly file out, "Tomorrow, classes shall begin. Feel free to spend the rest of the day to do whatever you please."

"So, what are we going to do know?" Rideat crossed his arms.

"We could get some pizza?" Lapis suggested.

"That sounds excellent right now." Zinc admitted. It was a very long day today.

"Okay." Rideat uncrossed his arms looked ready to eat.

Food sounded good to Amber too, however, "What's a pizza?" She has mostly lived on the outskirts of civilization, hidden away from a lot of things with only books to keep her company.

The rest of her team could only blankly stare at her, "What?"

She had a small feeling she opened the avenue to a dangerous place.

 **…..**

 **That's it. Finally, it took me longer than it should have to complete this chapter. I hope it is satisfactory. Thank you trilbybard for Zinc Cygnus. Thank you RedRat8 for Lapis J. Anderson.**

 **And once again thank you The Baz for Rideat Dente and a certain other character.**

 **Thank you for allowing me to work with your characters and I hope I did a good job on their characterization, even if this isn't the best chapter for character interactions, but that'll come in due time.**

 **If anyone has any questions ask them and I shall try to answer. See you next time.**


	10. Chapter 10

_"So tell me friend. Which one of the bitches sent you? Are you an Atlesian dog? A pawn of Ozpin? Dare I say a puppet of Salem? Let me tell you that Rapture is not a sunken ship you can plunder and that Andrew Ryan is not a giddy socialite that can be slapped around by people who send their puppets to do a man's job."_

…

Jack simply walked around the school. It was going to be his daily routine anyway. He had to stay ever vigilant, a very easy task for the man as he made sure to be cautious of every last detail. The students should either be in class or wandering around and staying on school grounds to wait for their next class.

There was nothing wrong going on at the moment, most students simply spared him a glance and greeted him by his nickname.

"Hi, Mr. Bubbles."

"Sup, Mr. Bubbles."

"Eyyyy, it's Mr. Bubbles."

Those were the usual types of greeting he would receive, and it usually brought a warm smile to his face.

"Mr. Wynand." Glynda said as she walked a bit past him.

"Ms. Goodwitch." Jack replied back, "Don't you have classes to teach?" He turned in time to see Glynda stop.

"Combat classes will begin tomorrow. I will give an introduction later in the afternoon and a few sparring matches between students near the end of each of the hours." She turned to give Jack the courtesy of seeing her face, "It honestly wouldn't hurt to have a little help setting up the combat arena, if you have the time that is."

Jack nodded his head, "Lead the way."

"It takes quite a while to set up, Mr. Wynand. I'm sure you have a schedule of your own to keep."

Jack shook his head, "Lead the way."

"If you insist Mr. Wynand." Glynda coughed a bit into her sleeve, "This way."

It didn't take them long to enter the area known as the arena. It was simply a room filled with nice chairs and an arena in the middle. An entire 360 degree classroom. Jack could even see that the chairs had little boards on them so students could do their work or take notes. The arena was actually large in size.

"We usually use half of the classroom for when students are to be learning and the complete classroom when there are in school tournaments." Glynda explained as she lead Jack to a secluded back area.

The two first entered a small office, then walked a bit past it to enter what one would describe as one of those theater rooms used to play the projector. There was an actual projector sitting atop the ceiling.

Glynda reached in her breast pocket to pull out a small remote and turned on the projector, it took a few seconds to turn on, but it seemed to work like a charm. The projector stopped above the arena to project a 3D screen, displaying a blank screen.

"Mr Wynand, would you mind checking around the classroom? See if there's anything out of the ordinary or just trash to be picked up?" Glynda asked as she began to wander around the small room. She was making sure everything was configured right.

Jack silently agreed and walked out of the room and past the office once again. He carefully checked around the classroom, making sure there wasn't a thing out of the ordinary. As he was in the middle of his inspection he spared a glance at the screen projecting above the arena. Glynda's face and aura gauge was shown on screen. She was most likely calibrating it.

After he made sure that everything was right in the classroom he walked back to the small room, he noticed that the projector was now off. He stopped in the office as he saw Glynda come out of the room and immediately went towards the desk. She took a seat and Jack wordlessly took one across from her.

Glynda quickly booted up her monitor and waited for it finish up said boot up, "Was everything okay?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary. I just adjusted a few seats and picked up some leftover trash."

"Thank you, Mr. Wynand. You saved me a lot of time." Glynda thanked the man. Silence seemed to immediately preside over the two as they didn't have anything to immediately talk about.

Jack seemed to note the clock on the wall, if seemed that he and Glynda have been in the classroom for about an hour believe it or not. Time passed rather quickly, then again he was thoroughly checking and fixing the classroom bit by bit. It was like he was waiting for a trap to spring up at any second.

"Is there any sort of meaning to your tattoos? If there is any, I mean." Glynda piped up, she wanted to end the awkward silence.

If she were to ask Jack before his trip to a certain hellhole under the sea he would've shrugged his shoulders and replied something along the lines of not knowing what they meant. He wouldn't even remember when he got the tattoos, not that he could.

"A man chooses, a slave obeys." He reiterated the words of an ambitious, yet not a great, man.

He could've sworn he heard Glynda gulp a bit, "Interesting symbolism." Glynda seemed to unconsciously guide her own hands towards Jack's to get a better view of the chains on his wrist. He allowed it.

Glynda turned Jack's hands ever so slightly. She glided her fingers over the chains, wondering if she could feel the texture of real ones. She looked as though she could he in a trance for days if this kept up. It was a strangely solemn expression, it was like she was yearning for something.

"You're hands are nice and warm." Jack admitted. He could feel the warmness of her hands very easily.

Glynda's hands seemed to stop what they were doing. Her eyes seemed to widen a bit as she just realized what she was doing. She kept her composure and calmly pulled back her hands away from his, "I apologize for that Mr. Wynand." She coughed into her wrist, a small tinge of pink appeared on her face, "It was rather unprofessional of me."

"It's alright." Jack smiled. To him it was a bit cute how she reacted though, like a curious cat, or an owl.

Glynda felt her heart skip a beat for a second, before she dismissed it and smiled back. It seems that his positive attitude was a bit infectious. Honestly, it perked up her day a bit.

"If you're ever up for it we can get drinks at a bar or someplace." It was honestly Jack's best way to invite people to hang out with.

Glynda kept her composure and raised a brow. She gave an audible, "Hn?"

"Or go anywhere else that's fine with you. Bring people along if you wish to."

Glynda breathed in, "I don't usually have the time to do such things." She paused, "I don't really drink much either. I have a rather tight schedule to keep." She paused once again, for some reason it didn't feel right to say that, "However, my schedule isn't filled that much this Saturday. Does that sound like a good time?"

Jack nodded, "Unless something terrible comes up, I have no other plans. How does Junior's sound? He should be reopened by that time."

Glynda raised a brow. She still kept her composure, "You wish to go dancing?"

Jack shook his head, "Maybe hang around the bar for a bit."

"Oh." For some reason she was distraught with not dancing.

"I can try however." Jack admitted, "Never tried to dance properly before, should be fun."

Glynda smiled a bit at his enthusiasm, "I can try to dance with you, if you wish." Her mouth seemed to be on autopilot, as she kept herself composed.

"That would be lovely." Jack simply said with a smile.

"Mr. Wynand. It would appear that a student is on the roof on building one. Would you please situate and defuse a possible situation?" Ozpin's voice spoke over Jack's radio.

"Understood." Jack replied as he got out of his chair, "I'll see ya Saturday, right?"

"Yes." Glynda confirmed.

Jack set off in a quick manor, not running, just a fast walking speed.

As soon as Jack left the room Glynda lost her composure and deflated a bit in her chair. Her heart seemed to race a million beats per second after their exchange. It was a feeling she honestly never experienced before. She couldn't see it herself, but her face glowed a very tangent red.

…..

Jack arrived on the roof after making a rather mad quickwalk. The student in question was a girl with very long whitish to perhaps gray hair. She wore the standard student uniform as to be expected. She actually turned around to reveal her blue eyes and a scar that ran near one of her eyes.

"You're with security, right? Don't worry, I wasn't going to jump." She quickly assured Jack that she wasn't going to jump. Yet he could clearly hear the melancholy in her voice, his job wasn't finished.

"What's troubling you?" He stayed in his current position as the girl completely turned around.

"It's not your problem, just a minor disagreement in-" She stopped mid sentence as she saw Jack cross his arms and give a worried stare. She immediately found herself weak to it.

"Well it's the leader of my team. She's not fit to be a leader." She started off slow, to avoid blowing up in front of Jack.

"Why?" It was a simple, yet direct question.

"She's just not mature enough to hold the responsibility of leader." She was starting to get a bit more into it.

"Why?"

"I believe it should be me who should be the leader, not that dunce." Her patience was being tested and it was quickly thinning.

"Why?"

"I've studied hard to get here and tried so hard to get into a Huntsmen academy that didn't bend over in fear of my father's retaliation if they did." She was on the edge.

"Wh-" He tried to say one more time.

"I just don't think she has what it takes to be a leader, okay!" She finally snapped, "Oh look at me, I'm a dunce who got lucky and was sent here a couple years early! Meanwhile I had to train and read as many books as possible to get here! And even then it was hard to get into, because my father was trying so hard to dissuade me from going here. He even limited my methods of transportation to get here, but I found a way!"

The girl continued to rant, seemingly repeating some phrases again and again. Jack stood perfectly still with his arm cross.

"And for some reason Ozpin picked the least qualified girl on the team to be leader! What does she have that I don't?! I don't see how she could be chosen to be team leader, whilst I am the most qualified one! That dunce can barely pay attention in class, not to mention she almost got herself, including me, killed during the initiation! How can someone who is reckless and annoying be qualified as a leader?! It should've been me! I should've been the leader, because I actually studied on how to be one. I should've been the leader because Ozpin made a mistake and meant to choose me, but settled on the dunce! I should've been leader because I am the most qualified. I should've been the leader because she's immature. I should've-"

The girl seemed to pause, she seemed to slowly realize what she was saying, " -been leader because -because." She suddenly found herself collapsing on her knees as she realized, "I expect it to be handed to me on a silver platter. Like everything else in my life." She found her voice growing weak. She sat herself down on the roof's floor and pulled her leg towards her face. She looked downtrodden.

Jack finally made his move and walked towards the young woman, he placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up from her position and seemed to slowly regain her composure.

She smirked, "Heh. Who am I to say that I deserve to be the leader. I'm acting more immature than that du- my teammate, my leader." She breathed in, a burden seemed to be lifting off her chest, "I kept going on and on about how much I studied about leadership and tactics, but I forgot the most important thing about studying materials. My sister even told me it. 'No amount of studying can prepare you for the real thing. In the real world you'll have to make decisions that the books will never tell you'."

The girl let out a deep breath and smiled, "If anything. I'm probably the least qualified to be leader. Imagine that." She laughed it off a bit and grabbed Jack's hand to steady herself back up, she was feeling a lot better, "Thank you for helping me understand…." She realized that she had no idea who he is. She knew he was part of security, due to the students talking about his unique sweater,but his name seemed to evade her. She was pretty sure she heard his last name started with a B.

"Jack Wynand."

"I'm Weiss Schnee." She returned the favor, "Thank you helping me understand what I was missing from the equation. Sorry that you had to hear me rant though."

Jack smiled and gave a thumbs up, "It's not a problem. However, I do have to escort you back to my office and perhaps send you to the nurse right afterwards. You did appear depressed on the roof after all."

"I understand Mr. Wynand."

"Bubbles. You can call me Mr. Bubbles."

Weiss seemed to hold back a laugh, "Sorry." She couldn't hold back anymore as she let it out. Her laughter filled the silent rooftop, "Mr. Bubbles." She continued to snicker.

Weiss had a feeling that she was going to become quite acquainted with Mr. Bubbles. She could feel a kindness, that not many could pretend to imitate, radiate off him as if it was a natural thing to him. Yet he himself seemed unaware.

…..

 **Short chapter. I was thinking of this one being a larger chapter switching between Jack and Amber as per usual, but decided against it as, to me, it would seem to be at a strange flow or pace.**

 **I don't often write scenes like the one with Glynda, so I believe it's good practice. I hope everyone else likes where I'm going with it, if not so be it.**

 **See ya next time, where it'll mostly focus on Amber.**

 **…**

 **Extra/Omake**

"Excuse me what do you mean this Mr. Wynand adopted my daughter?" Mr. Schnee asked over the phone.

"What?! You can't adopt someone else's daughter like that!"

"Both of them?! He adopted Winter too? How is that even possible?!"

A few seconds passed. You could hear the random noises over the phone.

"What do you mean he adopted my wife?!"


	11. Chapter 11

" _Once I make it to the surface world, with an army of Splicers, the name Frank Fontaine will become well known. Nothing will stop me, not you, not Ozpin, none of the Kingdoms, none of the Grimm, and certainly not even this so called mythical witch named Salem! I don't know what possessed Ryan to make him believe that there is a so called 'Ruler of all Grimm', but the Grimm are just like any other wild animal! It's time for the Splicers to take over and we'll take it all over. We won't hide behind some dainty walls, we'll fight until we rule it all! If you think you can try and stop me, boyo, you have another thing coming!"_

… _.._

Amber simply woke up. The sun hasn't come up and the moonlight leaked through the windows. She was currently inside her team's newly acquired dorm room. There were four beds on each side of the room, some desks, drawers, and some bags that her teammates brought with them.

The quartet decided that they should customize, or at least move some stuff around, their room in the morning. It was a bit late in the night when they got back, way after Amber got her first taste of the delectable known Pizza. It was simply delicious. Greasy, but delicious.

Normally one would go back to sleep when they wake up in the middle of the night, but someone else was awake in the night. She could see that Rideat was sitting upright on his bed, holding a mirror and having removed his eyepiece. She could see the burns and scars near his eyes.

His eyes moved up a bit to see Amber staring at him, he only smiled. He stood from his bed, taking his blindfold, but not putting it on. He motioned for her to follow him out the door, to which she complied.

The two silently strolled through the empty halls of Beacon. The school was completely different by night. Everything seemed to give off a melancholic glow as the moonlight reflected off the surface of everything.

"So this is what you actually look like." Rideat suddenly spoke up, "You look better than I imagined."

Amber simply smiled and nodded, "Thank you." She could see that his eyes were a pale white color.

The two continued to wander the moonlit filled school.

"I always found the night so peaceful." Amber reminisced the many nights that she stared at the shattered moon. A reminder that there is such a thing as peace and tranquility. This was especially so on lonely nights.

"Unfortunately, so do the criminals. Crimes happen more often at night. When people think of peace, they think of opportunities to commit their deeds. The natural shadows of the night help." Rideat looked towards the ground, his fist somewhat clenching.

Amber frowned at this and narrowed her eyes a bit. She couldn't help but feel that Rideat really brought the mood down for absolutely no reason at all.

"It's unfortunate alright. There are always criminals lurking in shadows. Many of whom can't be arrested, due to being above the law."

Before Amber could even reply someone else joined their conversation. She turned to see someone rather familiar. Who was she again? It took a second for Amber's mind to find the name Blake, from team RWBY. Blake had her arms crossed, staring at Rideat.

"Tell me, what are you doing flaunting around the old symbol of the White Fang for? What do you think somebody will do when they figure it out. They may attack you on sight."

Rideat looked at the blindfold that was in his hands, then he put it on. It was almost like he was taunting her for being suspicious. "It proves that I've got nothing to hide. If someone asks, I'll say yes. It's as simple as that. I got out as soon as those maniacs turned violent. Now, why are you hiding the fact that you're a faunus, Belladonna?"

Blake narrowed her eyes, "How do you-"

"One. I can 'see' those ears with my Semblance. Two, everyone who is or used to be in the White Fang practically knows the members of the Belladonna family. They were the leaders after all." Rideat took a step forward in an almost threatening manner, "Why do you hide who you are, Belladonna?"

Blake seemed to reach for something behind her back, "I don't have to explain myself to you."

Suddenly, Amber simply got between the two. She stretched her arms out into a 'T' like pose. She simply had enough, she wasn't going to let them duke it out for no reason. This stopped the two in their tracks. Their stances lowered significantly.

"Please, don't fight."

What would Mr. Bubbles do in this situation? Probably stare silently, or use his few words to calm people down. She honestly didn't know how it worked, but it did.

"The path of the righteous isn't always an easy one, no?" Jack told her this one day, she didn't understand it at first, but she could interpret it however she could. "Whatever happened back then to make you leave the White Fang doesn't matter here. You both came here to do the right thing. Whatever you did doesn't matter. As long as you make amends here, at Beacon." She honestly couldn't believe that she was speaking for this long. She didn't know she had it in her to say some things like that.

She knows only a little bit about the White Fang. Peaceful faunus rights activists turned terrorist activists. That's the extent of her knowledge about them.

The two dropped their aggressive stances and stared at one another for a prolonged period of time. Blake didn't say a word as she turned around and started to walk away.

"Don't tell anyone about my secret." Was all she said, not bothering to see if the two agreed.

Amber dropped her arms and breathed in slowly, her face was flushed in red. That was a lot more stressful than it looked.

"Wise words." Rideat managed to say.

Amber remembered the moment he dropped the mood, "I would appreciate it if you did not… lower the mood for no reason at all." Was she pushing it too far or..?

Rideat sighed, "Sorry about that. I tend to do that when I know something is about to come up, it gets people in the right mood for a possible fight."

Amber frowned and shook her head, she honestly had nothing to say about this. With the recent encounter she was ready to head back to bed in an instant. She looked upon the shattered moon once again, it was always something that would bring a feeling of tranquility to her mind after all.

….

She once again found herself waking up a couple of hours later, when the sun was finally showing up. She didn't know when she woke up in the middle of the night, but that didn't matter with her renewed energy.

It was about eight in the morning. The rest of her team was up doing their own decorations of the room. Zinc had some things and moved them around to make them appear presentable and friendly, he actually set up some candles around the room, no doubt to give it a pleasant aroma when the time arrived to do so. Once he was done with that he folded some of his nice clothes and placed it in a drawer. He actually had a lot of matching suits. He wore the school uniform in a prim and proper manner.

Rideat really wasn't doing much though, all he did was just place some tools on a desk nearby. He was actually meditating, if his slow and controlled breathing was any indication. He let out a breath though, to indicate that he finished meditating. He wore the uniform in an almost proper manner, but there were some tears on the side of where his robotic arm was. It must be harder than it looked to put on clothes with a robotic arm.

Lapis appeared to be the one doing the most changes to the room. He actually had a couple of books placed on the previously empty shelves, some were just plain old history books, some were poetry, even a philosophy book or two. Lapis wore the school uniform in the least proper way, at least compared to Rideat and Zinc. The buttons on his shirt were mostly opened, and the long sleeves rolled up to his biceps.

"Morning, Amber." Lapis greeted her first as he passed her bed, he stopped just to greet her though.

"Morning." Amber rubbed her eyes as she sat herself up, "Why is your uniform like that?" Amber yawned.

"Oh, it's just tight on the chest." Lapis bumped his chest to emphasize.

Amber nodded as she stood up.

"You slept in your uniform?" Zinc said as he walked about the room.

Amber looked down to see that she did exactly that, when did she do that again? Was she that tired she didn't notice that she wore her uniform to bed, but not her pajamas. Nevermind, it would appear that she wore the top half of her uniform to sleep, but not her bottom part. She actually wore her pajama pants to sleep. Her skirt she had to wear as part of the uniform was on the dresser.

She walked over to the dresser and pulled down her pajama pants.

"Whoa! We'll give you some privacy." Lapis said as Amber heard the shuffling of feet behind her. Three distinct sets of course.

"Warn us ahead of time when-" Zinc started.

"Huh?" Amber turned around, already done putting the skirt on. The three men stopped near the door.

"That was quick." Lapis said as he went back to do what he was doing, though he was staggering around a bit.

"Warn us next time when you do that." Zinc coughed as he decided to light some of the candles. He was just slowly wobbling similar to Lapis.

Rideat breathed in a bit, he decided to go back to meditating for a couple of minutes. He would've, but decided against it as a tinge of red appeared on his face. Actually all three of them had a bit red on their faces. Peculiar.

The atmosphere quickly disappeared as Rideat seemed to cough.

Amber took notice of Lapis setting down a photo of a buff looking man in what would appear to be some kind of uniform one would wear when going out on the ocean. A sailor was it? The man was flexing his arm with a child hanging on the flexed muscles. The child looked like a younger Lapis, though his skin wasn't as tanned.

Lapis looked towards Amber to see her curious gaze towards the picture, he smiled as he lifted it back up and presented it to her, "This is my uncle, Johnny. Johnny Topside. He was a deep sea diver. You know, the type to discover some lost treasures of ancient ships. At least that's what he told me."

Zinc stopped what he was doing and listened in, "Sounds interesting. Did he bring you anything from his trips."

Lapis chuckled, "All the time. He used to tell me not to tell anyone that he brought things for me or they would have his head. Cause you know? The museums are adamant about preserving history in their own way. I think that's what the usual excuse was."

"I'm pretty sure his name doesn't follow the color naming rule." Rideat astutely pointed out.

"That's because his last name is actually Ocean. You can kind of see why he became a deep sea diver. He told me he changed it because when he found ancient treasure he would bring it back topside. Hence the name."

Lapis frowned a bit and crossed his arms, "He disappeared though. He went out one day and never came back. No, his entire crew didn't come back. The ship he rode on apparently crashed into the shores of Menagerie."

The room quickly filled with silence as just Zinc, Rideat, and Amber gave a silent condolence to Lapis.

"That doesn't mean he's dead though." Lapis curled a fist and held it in front of him, "Until I find out what actually happened to him, I will not stop trying to find him. He could he dead or alive for all I care, but I just need to know where he disappeared to. I just need that closure. That's why I became a Huntsman, to be able to travel the world and try to find him. He just has to be out there somewhere."

"You have a strong conviction." Rideat said, "What if you don't find him?"

"Then I'll keep searching. Even if I find no evidence, I'll search."

Amber couldn't help it, but she smiled, "I hope you find him one day. Alive, preferably."

Zinc gave a thumbs up, "Good luck on your endeavor. One day you'll see him again, at least with that attitude you will."

…..

Amber's first class was actually with Lapis. She didn't have any classes with her teammates except for the last class, which is combat class. It was actually a Dust Studies class of all things. The teacher was a woman, Professor Peach she was called. She was ecstatic to teach the class about the properties of Dust and such and their uses in crystal and pure forms.

Professor Peach was just giving the rundown and history of what Dust is and what it is mostly used for. Something no doubt everyone and their mothers have heard a million times before, but to Professor Peach it was something that needed to be told a billion times and more.

Amber noted Lapis writing down a couple of notes, every now and then. She decided to try and follow suit, maybe it would help her remember things more often. Overall the class wasn't that eventful as it was just an introduction and Professor Peach rambling on about the importance and uses of Dust. In a way it was kind of adorable though. She did make small talk with Lapis in the middle of some of Professor Peach's ramblings though. Even exchange a few notes from what they could decipher from Professor Peach.

The class seemed like it would be fun.

…

"Welcome to the Weapon's Shop Class. Here you'll hone your weapon crafting and customization skills, better than your previous schools hopefully."

Amber's second class was Weapon's Shop Class, or just Weapon's Shop if one wanted to shorten it. The teacher was a man called Professor Bear. He was a big burly man, whose voice was very deep. She noted that Ruby was in the classroom as well, as they discovered when they waved to one another when Amber first entered the classroom. Amber was the last one to the classroom though, so she couldn't get right next to Ruby.

Ozpin called for Professor Bear, so he had to leave the classroom for a bit. He said that the students were allowed to make modifications to their weapons as long as they don't break anything, or lose any limbs.

As soon as Professor Bear left the classroom most of the students decided to either talk, or make some modifications to their weapons immediately.

Amber was surprised when she turned around to see Ruby was already right next to her, a smile etched on her face, she didn't even see her get up.

"I'm glad I'm in the same class with someone I know. Oh, I can't wait to do some modifications together."

Amber noted that there seemed to be something wrong here, namely she could almost feel that something is biting at Ruby. Maybe it was her eyes, her dangerous, annoying, deadly, silver ey- Amber felt the sudden hostility again. Does she hate the color silver or something? She didn't know that?

"Is something wrong, Ruby?" Amber found herself saying.

"No. Nope. Nothing wrong here." Ruby smiled, but knew that she couldn't lie, "Well, I got into an argument with my teammate, Weiss. It happened in my first class, it was about my leadership. Don't worry, I already got a talk with Professor Ozpin about me being the leader is not a mistake. He said something about making more mistakes than anybody, but not sure what that was about. I'm just worried that Weiss'll hate me that's all." She tried to speak quickly.

There honestly wasn't much Amber could do here, "So what's your weapon like?" Amber did note she was a bit excited about weapon modifications. So, why not cheer her up for now and try to take her mind off things for a while?

…...

The rest of the day just went by quickly, her other classes not having much to note. She didn't know anyone else in the school, so she would imagine most of her classes would just be her focusing on the subjects. It was the final class of the day, Combat Class, and the rest of her team was in the class as well. Team's RWBY and JNPR were there as well. One could assume that the class was filled with first years and some second years due to some rumors floating about the school. Something about grade levels fighting at their grade level. Though Amber knew Ozpin would easily disagree with the notion.

There wasn't much to exchange between the four as they simply said that the day was just simple introductions. They didn't expect the Combat Class to be any different form any other class for today. Introductions and such has always been a common thing for schools, even if nothing was learned. It annoyed some, it was a grace for others.

"Welcome to Combat Class, Students. I am Glynda Goodwitch, your combat instructor. You will learn of many hypothetical situations you could find yourself in your career as Huntsmen. Keep in mind that you are not just learning how to combat Grimm, you will also be learning how to combat other people. It is a sad truth, but the Grimm are not the only dangerous things out in the world. Huntsmen are the keepers of the peace and fighting other people is sometimes necessary to keep the peace, do I make myself clear?"

Glynda took the silence as a form of acceptance.

"Is it me or is Professor Goodwitch in a good mood today?"

"Seems like it, wonder what happened?" It would appear that some of the second years started to whisper to one another pretty loudly, but Glynda didn't appear to have noticed.

"Shut up, before her good mood is soured." Another person interjected and ended the conversation there.

The rest of the class would just go on with a simple introduction, there was a single demonstration fight but that was due to the two combatants seemingly stalling for time and apparently having bad form. At least according to Professor Goodwitch.

….

Amber decided to visit Mr. Bubbles, if only to tell him about her day. To which she actually did, the day wasn't that eventful, but it had a strange sense of fulfillment.

"Can I have a hug?" Amber asked.

"Sure." Jack said as he embraced the young girl.

Amber couldn't describe it, but she kind of felt greedy today. Maybe she should get more hugs from Mr. Bubbles in the future?

"Take any pictures today?"

"No, nothing seemed to catch my eye today."

The two would stay like for a little while longer, Amber was very greedy in her hug intake for the day.

….

 **I'll be honest, this was a chapter I had a hard time writing and it shows. I was just very slow in writing this piece and just wanted it to be done, mind you that is a very bad mindset to have when writing a chapter. I started off good, but near the end I crawled. However, like many things in life, when you reach a low point, you trudge through it, then you'll eventually start to climb back up. I'm pretty sure every author has experienced this one way or another.**

 **Had many many many ideas, but decided to keep this chapter simple and light.**

 **See you next time, when my spirits are up and high again.**


	12. Chapter 12

"Head right on through." The bouncer simply looked at Jack and waved him and his guest, Glynda in.

Jack simply wore his white sweater with black dress pants, but Glynda seemed to have had a dress specifically for this type of event.

Glynda wore a completely white dress that went down to her ankles, the sides were cut to expose her rather shapely legs, and she had black heels to oppose her white attire. She wore a little bit of jewelry around her neck and had small dashes of make up here and there, but not too much. Her hair was let down and she seemed to have forgone her glasses for the night.

"Am I correct in assuming that they're thanking you for helping them in the incident with Ms. Xiao Long?"

Jack nodded his head.

Glynda frowned, "I have heard some unsavory rumors about these men, but I don't have any sufficient evidence to back my claims."

Jack gave Glynda a small glance, "I'm going to get some drinks. Do want anything?" They both stopped at an empty booth, Glynda took a seat.

"Yes, I would like a Tizi Bretin."

Jack coughed a couple of times, "That's a strong one."

Glynda smiled, "Indeed it is."

Jack smiled back and he made his way through the club. Junior remodeled it a bit, yet not that much. The dance floor was noticeably bigger, there were new statues here and there, and the DJ had a higher place to be perched up on. The DJ actually gave a thumbs up to Jack, to which he returned.

Jack quickly made it to the bar, noticeably a lot bigger. The shelves were three times the length, the lights seemed to be a bit more pristine, and the counters seemed to be a nice white marble, and very reflective of the lights.

"Nice to see you again, Jack." Junior finished cleaning a shot glass, "Heard from the guys up front that you brought in a lady friend. Now, the private rooms are full, but I can kick some people out if you want."

Jack shook his hand from side to side.

"Alright, the offer still stands. I can easily have Melanie and Militia do it in a snap." He pointed to the red and white twins known as Melanie and Militia, they were serving alcoholic beverages and such as barmaids.

"Hi, Handsome." Melanie smirked.

"Hi, Jack." Militia simply waved.

"Hello." He waved his hand back at them.

"So, what'll you be having today?" Junior placed his arm on the counter.

"I'll take a grape wine and a Tizi Bretin."

"That's a strong one. I take it your lady friend is the party girl type?"

Jack shook his head, "Quite the opposite really."

Junior whistled, a long and slow appreciatory one, "Ah, so the refined lady with a hidden penchant for alcohol." He immediately got to work on the drinks though.

"I guess?" Jack couldn't exactly come up with a retort.

A couple of seconds later, Junior was finished with the drinks, "Here's some whiskey, and some Tizi Bretin. They're on the house this time but the next drink you order will be the last free one. I still owe you a favor or two though."

"Thanks, Junior." Jack took the drinks and walked away.

"Have a good night."

The trip back to the booth was a short and simple one. People were dancing like crazy though, then again he never really did pay attention to dance moves people could come up with. A lot of dance moves he swore could break a normal person's neck if they weren't careful enough.

"I didn't keep you waiting, did I?"

Glynda shook her head, "No, you actually came back faster than I expected. The bar looked as though it was quite crowded from where I was sitting."

Jack took a look back and saw that the bar actually was crowded, guess he didn't notice. He did kind of get special treatment after all, and he liked it a lot. Jack took a seat and gave Glynda her drink and began to drink some of his. He wasn't sure, but he could've sworn he saw Glynda trying to restrain herself from downing the whole thing. Did she perhaps have a strong penchant for the drink?

…

Amber found herself taking a stroll with Zinc and surprisingly Jaune. The sun started to set, so the night hasn't begun quite yet. The trio were just walking around Vale, they looked at plenty of shops around town.

"How do you do it?" Jaune asked her team leader.

"Do what?" Zinc responded.

"Be a gentleman and be great with the ladies?"

Zinc raised a brow, "I don't see where you're going with this."

"That's exactly someone who's good with the ladies would say to another dude."

"I don't see how I am 'good with the ladies' as you put it."

"Don't act dumb. You don't notice all the cute girls that literally walk up to you and surround you after each class."

"I assure you, I don't go around philandering, if that's what you're implying." Zinc smirked.

"I don't know about this 'philandering' business, but seriously Amber can attest to the fact that you're surrounded by girls often, right?"

Jaune gave a glance towards Amber. Now that she thought about it, she rarely did get to chat with Zinc between classes. She would often find that she got into small conversations between Rideat and Lapis in the hallways. Even Ruby, Jaune, and even that strange girl Blake would somehow get small talk in the hallways.

She even can attest to the fact that he does get surrounded by girls, she's seen it a couple of times.

Amber nodded her head, "Yeah."

"Alright, alright. I guess I'm popular with the girls. I didn't expect to be though."

Jaune crossed his arms, "I bet you were popular in all your grade years and just trying to humble us. Though, do you mind teaching me your gentlemanly ways?"

Zinc tilted his head, "However do you mean?"

"How do I become a gentleman like you?"

Zinc coughed a few times into his hand, "Jaune, you don't become a gentleman. You simply are a gentleman."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Amber didn't need to ponder on the meaning, "I think it means just be yourself."

"That's right." Zinc gave a thumbs up to the lass.

"Like I haven't heard that a million times before." Jaune grumbled, "Where are we going anyway?"

It was made apparent that Zinc was leading the way the entire time. They stopped just as Zinc did in front of a hospital.

"Here of course."

"The hospital? You sick or something?"

"No, just here to visit my sister. You two can come along, she likes meeting new people." Zinc lead the way into the hospital.

Amber and Jaune looked at one another. Jaune just shrugged and followed Zinc in, whilst Amber quickly followed behind as well.

After the trio made it through the front desk with little difficulty, other than a notification that visiting times will end in an hour or so, they made their way to Zinc's sister's room.

"So, what's your sister like?" Amber found herself asking her leader.

"The kindest most wonderful person you'll ever meet. She's the reason why I am who I am today."

"Big sisters am I right? One time I had to play dress up with mine. All seven of them."

"Seven huh?" Zinc acknowledged, "With that many big sisters it makes me think of all the times mine somewhat embarrassed me. I can only imagine how much worse you got it."

"It wasn't that bad, I only got embarrassed a few… million times."

Zinc and Jaune shared a chuckle reminiscing about their siblings.

"What about you Amber? Got any siblings?" Jaune asked the Maiden before him.

"No. None that I know of." Amber looked to the side as the trio walked.

She had to wonder what it would be like to have a sibling. Would it be a tragic tale of sibling rivalry taken to the extreme? Would it just be two siblings having each other's back through and through? Would it just be something neutral? Nonetheless there was always the possibility that her 'parents' had another child and forgotten all about her. That child would have a sibling that they never knew about.

What sort of damned parents abandon their child because they're afraid of what she can do? Then give her away to some random people who would want to keep her secluded from society and 'protect' her? Years and years of isolation and loneliness due to a random chance of gaining the powers of the Maidens and the possibility that the wrong people would get their hands on the Maiden's powers! Jack is the first person to treat like a human being and that just-

"Amber? You alright there?" Jaune snapped her out of her thoughts.

She didn't realize that she started scowling and clenching her fists a bit tightly. She took a breath and relaxed, "Yes. I just wonder what it would be like to have siblings?"

Jaune didn't look convinced, but he decided to continue on the conversation path she wanted. Having seven sisters taught him to not ask questions of anything of the sensitive variety, "It's fine most of the time. Sometimes they're the worst people you'll ever meet and live with, but you'll love them all the same. They may give you trouble, but you're family dang it."

Amber smiled at his explanation. She'll have to ask if Mr. Bubbles has any siblings. Maybe about his family in general? Someone as nice as him must've been raised by the kindest people.

"Well said Jaune. You'll be a gentleman yet."

They finally reached their destination, room 313. The trio took the scenic route due to the public elevator being out of order. They entered the room to be greeted by a beautiful woman with golden white hair laying on a hospital bed.

The woman had a bright smile as she greeted Zinc, "It nice to see you again Zinc."

"Hey Sis, how're you doing?" It didn't go unnoticed that he switched to a somewhat more casual tone with his sister.

"I was doing good, I'm doing better now that you showed up." She noticed Jaune and Amber, "Are these your friends?"

Zinc nodded and motioned for the two to introduce themselves.

Jaune reached out to shake her hand, "The name's Jaune Arc. You look very pretty.. miss." Jaune said it as a statement, he did have a blush though.

Zinc's sister chuckled a bit and shook his hand, "Oh, you must be a sweetheart. I bet you say that to all the girls you meet."

"Well...not… usually." Jaune sputtered out, caught off guard.

"Oh, so I'm your type huh?" She teased.

"No, I like girls my age thank you."

"Oh, but I'm a woman you see." She winked.

"Uh dude, a little help." Jaune blushed and looked to Zinc to see that he was enjoying the banter.

"What? Don't like my sister?"

"Shouldn't you be saying something like saying 'don't date my sister'?"

"She can choose who she can date."

Jaune deflated a bit, "But the Bro Code."

Amber smiled at the exchange and decided to introduce herself, "I'm Amber. Amber Wynand." It felt so natural to say it.

Zinc's sister smiled back, "I'm Platinum, it's wonderful to meet you. You look beautiful, Amber"

"I've never been told that before."

Platinum looked surprised, "Really? I would think that you would be showered with compliments like that everyday by boys. Have beauty standards been moved up?"

Amber shrugged her shoulders.

Platinum brought her attention back to Zinc, "So how's your wing?"

"Fine. I haven't lost it yet."

"Can I have a look?"

"Sure."

Zinc turned around and quickly lifted up his shirt to reveal a small wing on right side of his back. Amber never really noticed it before now.

"Huh. You're a faunus." Jaune stated the obvious.

"Yeah, though I guess it wasn't that obvious?"

"No, not at all."

Platinum seemed to carefully inspect his wing. She was being as gentle with it as she could.

"Just so you know, don't go patting me hard on the back. It'll hurt. Badly. Oh and Amber just in case you didn't know, Rideat is also a faunus. Just in case that old White Fang symbol didn't tell you."

"Wait the blind dude? He was part of the White Fang?" Jaune questioned.

"Looks like it, but with the old symbol on his head, I have to assume that he left before it turned violent." Zinc seemed to scowl a bit, "Faunus rights was already an uphill battle, however things were just starting to turn around before they changed. Bastards are making it harder than it should."

"Language Zinc." Platinum scolded the boy.

"Sorry, sis."

"As punishment you have to call me everyday, unless you visit me."

"Alright, anything for you sis."

"Make sure to bring your friends more often, it always gets lonely in here."

"I'll make sure to come as often as I can." Amber found herself saying without hesitation. She didn't know where it came from, but maybe it had to do with her being lonely? She knows firsthand of its effects.

"You will? Thank you, Sweetie."

"Are you a young woman or and old lady?" Zinc somewhat joked, before he flinched in pain from a rather rough finger flick to his wing from Platinum.

Jaune leaned in to Amber's ear, "You see this is why I never piss my sisters off. They know ways more ways to hurt me more than I do. They'll even figure out more ways to do so."

Amber simply giggled at the scene before her, this was indeed a fun trip.

…..

Tenenbaum sat back in her cell. It's been a few days since she's been captured by the White Fang and they have yet to do anything to her. They have been feeding her supple amounts of food. Perhaps they wish to ease her into some kind of false sense of security. Fortunately she would know first hand what type of techniques interrogators use.

The White Fang actually had rather capable brains as they made sure to not give her anything she could use as a lockpick. She could tell that she was in a rather higher of quality cell. There was nothing loose in the cell, no weakness in the bars of walls. They didn't even have a window for her, no doubt to prevent her for calling for help, or somehow using animals to escape. There were always at least two guards on post, ones that unfortunately didn't screw around much. She couldn't get in their heads if she wanted to.

They had her locked up tight from what she could see. They no doubt knew who they're dealing with. Surprisingly, they did allow her go have cigarettes, but she had to ask a guard for a light. She did have a few plasmids in her system and she could easily break out, but she wasn't much of a fighter and didn't want to risk exposing the surface world, especially the White Fang to the power of ADAM.

Heh, doesn't it seem so strange? The root to chaos in Rapture was ADAM. And there is a faunus named Adam in the White Fang who is causing a lot of chaos. Seems no matter where Tenenbaum goes, ADAM, Adam, or whatever spelling of Adam, will always be causing destruction.

Tenenbaum let out a puff of smoke and chuckled.

"You know those'll kill ya?" It was that masked man she met the other night. So, they've finally begun to think to torcher her. She hoped that pitched changed voice wouldn't be an annoyance. Torture her all they want, but if he changed that voice to high pitch-

"You two can go, I'll keep an eye on her."

"Yes sir!" The two guards left their posts without question.

The masked man crossed his arms and looked at Tenenbaum, "So, how's life?"

Tenenbaum stayed silent as she puffed out another smoke cloud.

"It's been going good for me. Trained some members the other day, let me tell you it is hard to train people who don't know what to do, but I guess you wouldn't have much trouble with that would you? You would probably inject some strange liquid in them and tell them to go at it. Perfect test subjects, no?"

"Are you just going to talk, or are you going to torture me? I find it strange how you haven't tortured me yet."

The masked man waved his hand back and forth, "No, no, no. Torture is not my forte. Besides we know we'll have our way without torturing you. Don't ask us to kill you either, that's probably a best case scenario for you. I think you know what we want from you?"

"What makes you think that my old codes and information from Atlas will be any use for you? It's probably been updated since then." No, they can't be asking her to experiment once again.

"Come on Tenny. I know you're smarter than that."

"You can't be asking me to do 'that' are you?"

"Ding ding ding. We have a winner. Honestly, I'm not up for it, but my buddy Adam wants something to do with it. Tried to convince him otherwise, but he was pretty 'Adamant' about it." The masked man sighed, "I can't believe I just made a damned pun."

"What makes you so sure you can so easily have me provide my services?"

"Well we can always turn you into Atlas. Sure we may be wanted, but I'm pretty sure they would like to get their hands on you over us."

Tenenbaum froze, damn it. As much as she hated to admit it, going to Atlas would probably the worst thing possible for her. More so than being tortured or whatever by the White Fang. Yet, she couldn't just do what they wanted. What to do?

"We can always check back in a few days to get your answer anyway." The masked man reached for his helmet, "Now onto more personal matters." He slowly and complicatedly took off his mask, "It's good to see you again, Brigid."

Tenenbaum's eyes widened, "F-Fidelis. I never thought I'd see you again."

"Yeah, me neither. You won't believe how excited I was to be told to apprehend you." Fidelis joked around, not a care in the world, "You know? You are one of the reasons I am who I am today. I have to thank you for that."

"Yes, I am." Tenenbaum solemnly said, she just had to say something. Even if it may seem pointless, "Fidelis. I'm sorry for what I did. Sorry, for what I did to you in the past. I did things in the name of science without thinking of how ethical it was. I know it may be empty words, but it will ease my heart if I say it to someone I wronged. I am trying to change."

"Oh, wow. If I were anyone else I would be touched by those words." Fidelis showed a sign of surprise, "However, I forgave you a long time ago."

"Huh?"

"Like I said, you're one of the reasons I am who I am today. I have to thank you for that. So, apology accepted. I also believe you wanting to change, what with letting that kid go. The old Tenenbaum would've killed or experimented on that kid without any qualms. Or as you put it without any questions in ethics."

Tenenbaum put out the cigarette by stamping on it. She looked downward to acknowledge what she had created, "Who would've thought the one known as the White Mask would be because of my sins."

"Hey, don't give yourself all the credit. It was a multitude of fucked up circumstances for me, your just one of the reasons. So let's say about five to ten percent, yeah? Besides having my genetics changed in such a way to grant me tough skin is pretty badass, no matter how painful it was. Though a downside is the fact that my aura doesn't heal it as fast, though that's probably a comprise."

Tenenbaum sighed and put her hands on her head.

"Oh, well that's enough time catching up. Got to go do some stuff. Probably visit my brother sometime. Maybe surprise him at school. I can imagine the look on his face." Fidelis put his mask back on, "See ya Brigid, or Tenny. Tell me which one you prefer."

With that Fidelis left, leaving Tenenbaum alone.

Tenenbaum sighed once again, damn it all. If only they could just torture her and be done with it. Atlas or the White Fang? Atlas or Fang? Atlas or Fang? These were not easy choices. There were a lot of cons to either of them. Killing herself would not be an option as her bounty is dead or alive. There was even the chance they would take a look at her blood.

Tenenbaum found herself punching her cell door. She was very frustrated. Yet, somehow she thought it was a way of punishing her for her sins. She led herself down this road, better take responsibility for it one way or another.

…..

"You were certainly not joking when you said you haven't danced before."

Jack and Glynda were currently on the dancefloor, the raving party music from before has crawled to a slow soft melody. This was the cue for couples to dance slowly and embrace one another in their loving arms.

The lights in the room shifted into a light shade of blue.

"I never really had the time."

Glynda stifled a small chuckle, "It makes sense in a way." Glynda led the way in their slow dance and twirled around Jack, "I doubt working on a farm for most of your life would allow you much downtime for dancing."

Jack knew he had to keep the facade of a farm boy, it was actually easy due to the fact that his 'memories' consist of farmwork. Now that he thought about it, what were his 'parents' up to? Hopefully they'll stay out of his way.

Jack nodded his head to confirm Glynda's theory.

Glynda pulled Jack closer, then stepped back, repeating the process over and over again. She would even try to have Jack to take the lead, to see how his progress would go. He was still terrible, but slowly learning.

"Why did you quit farming, if you don't mind me asking?"

Part of Jack wanted him to jokingly say that a place called Rapture could change you, but no one, not even Glynda or Ozpin should know of its whereabouts. When you tell men the wonders of a city underwater, then all types of them would try to find it, killing one another along the way.

For powerful men shall try to control everything around them, just take a look at Amber, take a look at Rapture, take a look at the kingdoms, and especially take a look at Beacon Academy. They try to control it all, because they fear that'll it be quickly taken away.

"It started when I was to visit my cousins in Menagerie. My parents told me 'son, you are destined to do great things'. And you know what, they were right. As soon as I became old enough to leave, I did so to try and find my purpose in life."

"And that purpose happened to be taking care of children?"

"I was honestly surprised myself."

Jack and Glynda continued to dance for a little while, Glynda always took the lead, she didn't mind it one bit. She was honestly enjoying herself, something akin to a rare commodity for her.

"Do you ever regret becoming a Huntress?"

Glynda genuinely giggled, "Do you regret taking care of children?"

"No."

"Then you know my answer then."

The two would continue to slowly dance, before coming to a complete stop.

"Wish to call it a night?" Jack asked.

Glynda simply shook her head, she was going to enjoy the free time she had. She still had enough time to teach Jack how to properly dance after all.

Surprisingly, Jack brought Glynda into a warm embrace. It lasted for about a minute as Glynda tried to calm her beating heart. She's a grown woman for goodness sake, she should know better than to act like a schoolgirl with a crush.

Though was it bad that she was expecting a kiss on the cheek, after the small hug commenced?

The two would continue to dance the night away. Jack could've sworn Junior was pulling some strings to keep the music tame. Well who would complain about dancing with a beautiful woman anyway?

…..

 **That's it for this chapter people. Honestly don't have much to say this time around. It's fun writing this, that's all I can say.**

 **Though a quick inquiry for those willing to comment. What do you imagine for the possible interactions between Jack and Penny? Hell maybe even Jack and Winter if possible? I can't wait to read people's answers.**

 **With that I leave you till the next chapter comes up. Have a good day.**


	13. Chapter 13

_"I never understood why there was ever a reason or a need for humans and faunus to hate one another. I don't understand why they need to to bring up their petty differences to Rapture! Hate can only breed more hate, which'll slow down progress. Rapture is a place where we can continue to advance and grow without the old tensions of the surface world."_

 _"Mr. Ryan. Ms. Rose is here."_

 _"I'd prefer you call her by her stage name and only by her stage name until she gets over her amnesia."_

 _"But wouldn't calling her by her actual name jog back some memories?"_

 _"A stage name until she gets her memories back. That way when she does get them back we can easily distinguish the two."_

 _"If you say so, Mr. Ryan."_

 _"You can come in now Ms. Ro- I mean- Jasmine Jolene."_

 _"You can take the rest of the evening off Ms. Bay."_

 _"Thank you, sir."_

 _"Ryan."_

 _"Jolene."_

 _"I'd prefer if you'd call me by my first name when we're alone. Only you though."_

 _"If you wish Jasmine."_

 _"Not that one."_

 _"Are you sure? You picked the name Jasmine for yourself."_

 _"I'm positive."_

 _"If you so desire, who am I to deny?"_

 _"Please."_

 _"Summer Rose, how was your day today?_ "

…..

Jack found himself in front of an almost empty hallway. Almost as there was a door at the end of the hallway and saw shadows dancing underneath it. He carefully approached the door and placed an ear on the door.

There was a woman crying.

"Please don't do this! I'm sorry for what I did, I was only thinking about how angry you'd get. I know you could afford it, but would you even bother?!"

He heard a scream from the woman, "No! I didn't mean to say you would be a bad father! I'm sorry, I sold it so we don't have to worry about it!"

He heard another scream from the woman. Jack wanted to barge in there and put an end to it, but he couldn't open the door at the moment. He just stood there, glued to the door.

"I don't know to who! I didn't get their name! We can just try again and this time we'll raise it together."

Jack was not prepared for what would happen next.

"Please forgive me! What are you doing?! Please stop! No!"

Jack tried to bust down the door as quickly as he could, his-

"No! No! No! NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Jack busted the door open.

Jack sprung up from his bed, "Mom!" Cold sweat trailed down his skin and his rapid breathing calmed down. It was just another nightmare about Rapture.

It wasn't a rare occurrence for him to have nightmares about Rapture. He would usually get them from time to time and he's just learned to live with it. He never looked into them as he was never one to believe that dreams had any connection to future events. Past events, obviously, future, definitely not.

His scroll started to vibrate on the nightstand, he was getting a call from an unknown caller. Who calls this early in the morning?

"Hello?"

"Hey Jack, how're ya doing? I got your number from Oz." He'd recognize that voice anywhere. The raspy tone gave it away.

"Qrow? Did you need anything?"

"Nope. Oz just wanted me to keep in touch with you just in case. Might be stopping by for some of that special stuff you got. Don't worry I'll bring a couple of shot glasses to make it last some more. That stuff is good. Maybe visit my nieces while I'm at it."

"That's nice." Jack yawned, shaking his head.

"Welp, see ya later." Qrow immediately hung up.

Jack put down the scroll, got up, opened some drawers, and readied himself for the rest of the day. He was a bit active after his nightmare jolted him awake. There should be no students up at this hour, at least not that many, so he has ample time before the school day starts.

What to do with it? Who knows really? It's about a couple of hours till the first classes anyway.

…

Amber fiddled with her staff in her second class. Mr. Bear had once again stepped out. Honestly he did that a lot. Might as well not have him in the class. When wasn't pulled out of the classroom for whatever reason he was really good at going through the ins and outs of fine weapon crafting and refining.

"Are you sure you don't want a scythe?" Ruby was back on this topic. She knows it's only been a couple of weeks into the school year, but did Ruby really had to ask two to three times a week?

"No, Ruby. I'm fine with my staff the way it is." Amber was getting a little annoyed, but she found it a bit charming and flattering that she was interested in her weapon.

"At least let the possibility of having a scythe buddy get into your mind. We could be the beginning of a Scythe Club. Think about it." Ruby waved a hand in the air, "The first rule of Scythe Club- don't talk about Scythe Club."

"Then how would we get members to join?" Amber questioned the logic of the first rule.

Ruby blinked, "Good point. I always wondered how they even got members in that movie."

"What movie?"

"Battle Club, duh." Ruby made some punching motions in the air, "However, since I didn't hear a no-"

Amber smiled, "I never said yes."

"Come on, it wouldn't hurt to be scythe buddies."

Amber rubbed her shoulder, "I'm just not sure if I want to. I don't want to change my staff, just to change my mind after finding out I'm not good at it."

Ruby jumped in joy, "Which is why we can easily shift it back into staff form and change it on the fly. We can practice together until you're comfortable and ready. Not to pressure you or anything."

"I think I would like to practice without changing my weapon first."

"Alright. I'll just whip up a scythe you can practice with."

"Are you sure. I can do it myself. I don't want to burden you with it."

Ruby just gave a melodramatic smirk and speech, "My dearest Amber. I have-eth created-eth a million-eth scythe designs before-before-" Ruby coughed as she quickly ran out of breath and returned to her normal voice, "-before I got it just right with my baby, Crescent Rose. I can whip you up one in no time."

Amber giggled at Ruby's antics. If she insisted, then it wouldn't hurt.

"Okay."

She pumped a fist into the air, "Great! We'll be scythe buddies in no time. I'll have it done exactly by tomorrow. My baby comes first though."

Ruby went back to her spot, and worked on her weapon. There was always room for improvement. Though she still had some reserves on having Ruby whip up a practice weapon.

…..

"Is it me, or has Ms. Goodwitch been in a good mood lately?"

"You mean you haven't noticed? She's been in a good mood for a couple of weeks now. Let's hope she stays that way."

"Anyone know why?"

"Rumor has it that she found a boyfriend or something like that."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, it's the only explanation."

"We'll if he keeps her happy, then I hope it works out."

Amber found herself listening in on some of the upperclassmen during lunch. The cafeteria during lunchtime was always a fun place to hear random bouts of conversation. Not that she intentionally eavesdropped, people were just that loud.

She heard a loud bump hit the table she and her team were at. Lapis once again lost to Rideat in an arm wrestling match.

Lapis didn't give in as he was raring to go, "Come on one more time."

Rideat sighed, "Do you seriously think you can win against my prosthetic arm?" He was clearly having fun with this.

"Try me."

Amber would've kept looking at the determined man go against the robot arm, but a hand entered her peripheral vision. Zinc was ready to throw down with her.

"What do you say?"

Amber greeted the hand with her own and set her elbow on the counter, "Don't go easy on me."

"Ready- one, two, three- go!"

Amber simply made Zinc's hand flop down. This course of action made him burst out in laughter.

"I said to not go easy on me." Amber smiled throughout the whole spectacle.

"Sorry, couldn't resist."

The two got ready once again. There wasn't a need for a countdown as the two immediately struggled to gain dominance over one another. Amber pushed Zinc back, just for him to push her back. They held this stalemate for a couple of seconds, until Amber's resolve weakened ever so slightly. Now she found herself almost hitting the table, with no way to get back out of this situation.

She pushed back with all of her might, but it was to be of no avail as Zinc pushed her closer towards the table. Zinc's lips curled into a devilish smile as he knew he was going to win. There was no way she could get up out of this one. Even then she'll just delay the inevitable. This was in the bag.

Amber smirked and with a burst of strength proceeded to slam Zinc's hand on the table. His eyes widened as he had to process what happened. He was sure she was going to lose, what with her messing up at the beginning.

"How?" Zinc was a bit exasperated.

Amber giggled and crossed her arms.

"She just conserved her strength and used your expectations against you. Like so." Rideat held Lapis's hand in a firm stalemate, before slamming it down on the table.

"One more."

Rideat raised a brow, "You're really determined aren't you?"

"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't."

"Fair enough. Let's use our left hands, then it'll be a fair fight."

Lapis shook his head, "But I'm ambidextrous. It'll be unfair to you."

Zinc lifted his hand, "And going against a robo arm is?"

"It's his dominant hand." Lapis was really determined to win against the mechanical beast.

"Stop! That hurts."

"See, told ya they're real."

Amber turned to see a brown haired man in full plate armor, pulling on the ears of a faunus. Based off the ears, she could assume she was a rabbit or a bunny. She could see that he had some friends with him. A frown etched on Amber's face as she looked between her teammates.

Zinc had a face of worry and looked a bit downtrodden at the display, Lapis had a scowl on his face, and Rideat…?

Rideat calmly got up, walked over to the group, and tapped on the large man's shoulders. This was not going to end well, for both of them. Amber sighed and placed a hand on her face. Rideat was somewhat quick to violence. If she could see his eyes, no doubt they would be filled with fury.

"Hey! Asshole." Rideat knew who this man was, Cardin Winchester and his gang of loonies. How could bullies and open racists like them be tolerated here?

As soon a Cardin turned around Rideat delivered a punch straight to his face. The man let go of the girl's ears and stumbled back a bit. His idiot friends didn't waste any time as they charged for Rideat. He didn't waste any time with them as they tried to tackle him all at once, but he kicked one, punched another, and headbutted the last guy.

Cardin's features scowled as he pulled out a mace and charged towards Rideat. Rideat stood on place and readied his fist. As soon as he determined Cardin was close enough he began to swing his fist.

However none of that would come to be as a hand caught and held his fist in place, his robotic fist, and a wrench blocked the incoming attack from Cardin. The man holding both of them back did well on his own against the two, just enough for their momentum for battle to slow down.

"You four, Glynda's office, now! You, head to my office immediately." Amber was somewhat glad that Mr. Bubbles stopped the fight from escalating any further than it needed to be. Though this may be the first time she heard him yell, he was a bit scary.

The bullies seemed to reluctantly agree, if only because it was Glynda they were being sent to. Rumor goes that she gets madder if you don't arrive on time… or at all.

"But those bastards started it!"

"Then you had to escalate this a bit further." Jack's tone of voice lowered considerably.

"What was I supposed to do, watch and do nothing?!"

"Yes, and wait for the proper authority to intervene." Mr. Bubbles didn't miss a beat.

"Aren't Huntsmen supposed to intervene when stuff like this happen? What if this happened on the street, huh? Would I wait for the police to arrive, just as the criminals finish up?!"

Jack didn't waver, "That is different."

"Yeah, probably a common excuse. How is it so different?!"

"The difference is the fact that it wasn't in a school."

"I've also heard that excuse before, but none of my teachers before could answer. So what if it was in a school?"

Amber was a bit amazed at how calm Mr. Bubbles was being, no matter how much Rideat shouted at him he still kept his cool and gave logical answers.

"When it happens in the streets that's fine. Do your job as a good person, a good Huntsman. You're supposed to help the police with stopping criminals. However, Teachers and Staff are supposed to handle the issue of bullying. We won't condone it, not one bit. But we won't condone random fights happening around school."

Rideat calmed down just a bit, "But what about his open racism? You don't do anything for that."

Jack sighed in relief as he got Rideat's tone down, "At most it's harassment, but we can't punish him for what he says, at most it's a verbal warning. He can say whatever he wants, but the moment he physically abuses someone, then he's punished thoroughly."

"What about mental?" Rideat calmed down considerably. He was now just asking questions calmly and expecting rational answers from Mr. Bubbles.

"It only applies if we're sure he's causing complete psychological attacks on a person."

Rideat didn't seem to have any more questions from the looks of things, "Thank you."

"Now head to my office."

"Alright." Rideat walked away calmly.

"I'll accompany him." Lapis whispered to Amber. He did just that as he quickly and quietly left the Cafeteria to follow Rideat.

Jack looked around the quiet cafeteria, "Get back to what you were doing. Nothing to see here."

With that the place was back to being loud.

Jack sat next to Velvet, "You alright?"

She finished feeling her ear, "Yeah. It just hurts to have my ears pulled."

"Not to sound rude, but aren't you a second year? How are you being bullied by the younger ones?"

Velvet looked away, preferring not to talk about.

Jack nodded in understanding, he pulled out a chocolate bar, "Here."

Velvet took the bar, "Thank you."

"See ya around."

"Bye, Mr. Bubbles."

With that Mr. Bubbles quickly left the cafeteria.

Amber would find herself alone with Zinc, "Class is going to start soon, want to walk till we get to either of ours?"

"Alright." The afternoon may have been a bit soured, but it'll probably pick up again.

…..

Ozpin smiled as he watched Jack deal with the situation splendidly.

"Got to hand it to him, he's good at this." Qrow leaned in a bit, just to step back and take a swig out of his flask.

"He's a fine example of a good man indeed." Ozpin took a chug out of his coffee, "Might I ask, what that is you're holding?"

"Take a look. I found it on the beachside. Inside of a wallet, in a plastic bag, this was the only thing in it. Well that and a piece of paper that's barely legible. Impossible to read anyhow."

"The illustratious and attractive, Jasmine Jolene…. I dare say this Jolene, looks like Ms. Rose… both of them."

"That's what I thought, but I took me a few seconds to figure that it was an ad to a gentlemen's club somewhere. The card doesn't say where. So it must be a show girl wearing makeup."

Ozpin gave the card a bit of scrutiny, "Yet, this Jolene has unmistakable, silver eyes."

"Must be contacts, I've been to enough clubs to know that."

"So why did you keep it on you?"

Qrow didn't answer immediately, "I guess. I just hope.. deep down. That it is who I think it is."

"Do you want me to look into this?"

"Like I said, probably just a dancer with makeup."

"I'll do it when I have nothing else to do then. Do you still want this?"

"Nah." He took a gulp out of his flask, emptying it there.

…..

 **Short chapter, another case of feeling that it's a good stopping point. Still working out the chinks with Rideat, Lapis, and Zinc.**

 **I wasn't sure about the starting and end bits here, but after some internal debating I decided to go full sail with that, and see how it works out.**

 **I thank everyone for their support for this story. I may be repeating what I said earlier, but I didn't expect it to be popular. What drew you folks in and why'd you stick around? That's what I'd like to hear.**

 **With this I await to see you next time.**


	14. Chapter 14

It was the start of another weekend. Everything went pretty swell with Rideat, he was given some time in detention, at least two days worth of it. The bullies however weren't let off so easy. They were given about two weeks worth of detention, community service, and a warning. The warning being: if they're found to bully, harass, or do anything uncomfortable to any of the students they'll be suspended, plus the punishment of the previous time. If they do it one last time after that it'll be expulsion, no questions asked.

For now though, Jack had resided in his little security room. It is the weekend, but there are still a couple of classes that happen early in the morning. Completely optional, but it's there if people wanted to go. A majority of the students were either in town, or just hanging around school grounds.

"Ah, Mr. Bubbles. Good to see you."

Ozpin took the time to say hello, how nice. He framed himself on the doorway, simply blocking it.

Jack nodded, "Hello, how's the day been to you, Ozpin?"

Ozpin took a sip from his cup, "Dreadful, I dare say. We've ran out of coffee. I had to resort to drinking hot chocolate. Whilst I do enjoy the hot chocolate, I don't find it as enriching as coffee."

Jack absentmindedly pulled his candy bowl towards him, he had to get some more later.

"But, that's about it. As minor as it may seem, the essence of coffee is a very serious matter to me. I actually came in here to discuss about what happened yesterday."

Jack stood straight as the headmaster took a sip of his hot chocolate.

"I wasn't able to tell you yesterday, but I'm happy with how the way things ended. It takes a lot of patience to be able to end a conflict somewhat peacefully. You showed a great example to the students. However it is simply dreadful to have something like this happen in the first place. This is no place to attack your fellow Huntsmen, whether they be a human or a faunus."

"Thank you, Ozpin."

Ozpin nodded and got himself out of the doorframe and began to leave, "I should be thanking you."

All Jack heard was the footsteps that Ozpin left in his wake. Today was going to be like any other day he supposed.

A couple of minutes later, a set of footsteps made their way to his door. It didn't take long as the footsteps belonged to Velvet.

"Hello, Mr. Bubbles." Velvet smiled brightly.

"Hey, Velvet. How're you doing?"

"I'm doing just fine. Just wanted to say hello and thank you for the candy. May I?"

Jack simply pushed the bowl forward for the bunny to collect some candy. She decided to have some of the small chocolate bunnies.

"Mr. Bubbles… if it's not too much…"

Velvet nervously shifted about. Jack simply waited for what she had to say.

"I challenge you."

"Excuse me?" That was one of the things he'd thought he'd never had to hear from her.

"Do- don't worry. I've already gotten approval from both Headmaster Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch. But if you don't want to then that's okay too."

Students are allowed to challenge teachers and staff to organized fights, usually just to test out their skills against the more experienced people. Others are just overconfident and just want to prove themselves better.

They can't just do it out of the blue, they have to have approval from Ozpin and one other teacher, whomst will oversee the battle. The rules vary, but it is usually up to the teacher overseeing the fight to make and enforce them.

Mr. Bubbles won't deny her outright, but she must have a good reason, "Where did this come from?"

Velvet somewhat pulled a bit on her hair, "Well.. yesterday actually. When I saw you block the attacks of both of the boys, I saw you using a wrench. I was only interested in how you fought, but it was pointed out to me that you'll probably rarely use it on a student, unless it was a challenge… so uh… yeah."

"Were you pressured into it? If you were, I will have to decline a challenge. You don't have to prove a point"

"N-no. My team leader suggested it jokingly and somewhat teased me about it, but it was my decision through and through."

Jack sighed, "Are you absolutely sure?"

Velvet nodded, determination filled her movements.

Just then someone ran around the corner into his room, it was Rideat, "Mr. Bubbles. I challenge you! I already got permission from Ozpin and Goodwitch, so let's go."

Jack raised a brow, should he be expecting Cardin to challenge him as well?

"Why?"

….

Amber fell down as she couldn't handle the awkwardness of her practice scythe.

"Come on Amber, it shouldn't be that hard." Ruby said while she was holding her scythe with ease.

That's easy for her to say, those silver eyes were mocking-, "You've had a lot more practice than I in this department."

Ruby tilted her head, "It really shouldn't be that different than a staff."

Amber could possibly beat her with a sta-, "It's actually a lot different." Where are these hostile thoughts coming from? They don't happen often, but it becomes really obvious when she notices it.

Ruby simply smiled, "No, not really, look." Ruby folded her scythe to mimic the appearance of a staff. With one hand she skillfully maneuvered the folded scythe in a twirling motion, before she set both of her hands on it and went into multiple positions, "A scythe is more like a staff with a bit more weight on one end. If you have scythes on both ends then it's like a staff with weight on both ends. So if you counterbalance them to face opposites sides for the sharp ends it's back to being like a staff-"

Amber patiently listened to Ruby as she went off the trail with her explanation. This is the fifth time she's done it now and it was kind of cute. Just zipping words out of her mouth as she quickly explains stuff. Somehow it has something that keeps her interested in what she had to say.

"Oh, I'm sorry for going off again!" Ruby tried to hide her blunder and continued to demonstrate that the techniques of a staff user can somewhat translate to the use of a scythe, except with a little bit of weight.

Amber decided to follow her example, though it felt more like a competition than she hoped. When Ruby got done demonstrating Amber would try to follow that notion faster. In response Ruby would do her next steps quicker, then Amber would do the same. This went on for a couple of minutes, before they both realized what they were doing. They were training together, not trying to compete against one another. Though that was after they both tripped trying to one up one another.

The two simply shared a laugh and tried to get back to what they were doing. At first Amber was a bit skeptical of using a scythe, even if it was for practice. But as she tried to compete with Ruby she realized that her body movements were similar to when she had used her staff, with a bit of adjustments she could possibly translate it to using a staff… though she did prefer the use of a staff.

Not far from them sat Zinc idly watching the two go at it. He had nothing better to do really. Though something did catch his eyes. Well more like it became bluntly obvious, but he couldn't help but notice they seemed to have some sort of rivalry against each other. And it seemed like they didn't understand that they did with the way they were acting. He almost felt as though blood would be spilled, but not today. He shook his head, maybe he was thinking without a filter. That was only the worst case scenario.

A sudden terrifying smile came into view, it was from a blond, purple eyed woman. She was upside down from his perspective, so she must've been hovering right above him.

He let out a small shriek, but not loud enough for everyone to hear.

"So… why do you happen to be looking at my little sister and her little friend? You aren't some creeper are you? Preying on the girls?"

Zinc simply shook his head quickly, "No, ma'am."

"So what are you doing here?" She leaned in closer, still not convinced.

"I'm Amber's teammate… and leader of team LARZ."

The girl perked up, by smiling at Zinc in a non threatening manner and got away from his face to sit right next to the now confirmed non-suspicious man.

"Good. Cause if you were a creeper, I would've broken all your bones."

Zinc didn't doubt that, after all his own sister was a great example for him.

The girl right next to him simply crossed her legs, "I'm glad Ruby made a friend. Other than her teammates of course. She's just starting to come out of her shell. I'm Yang." Yang held out her hand.

"Zinc." It was a simple introduction, but they both shook on it.

Yang suddenly turned behind her, "Hey, Weiss, come down here. Stop studying and chat with some people." Yang turned to Zinc, "I have two people I'm trying to get out of their shells."

Zinc turned around to see the somewhat infamous Weiss Schnee, now this would be a surprise if he didn't see her walking around the school often and the fact that students always talked about the Heiress. His current opinion is just a meh, nothing to get hostile about. She's only the daughter of the head of the Trading Company, not the head honcho herself.

If by any logic he felt some kind of pity. No doubt she was a tool in the eyes of many people who want to get close to the less than amiable Trading Company. Be it for kidnapping purposes or finding ways to try and find a weakness in the head honcho. To him it seemed as though it simply sucked to be successful and all powerful. He's read more than enough papers about successful and unsuccessful assassination attempts on the members of the Schnee family and the second Heiress herself has had many failed attempts on her life.

"I'm fine from my advantageous position, I'm simply taking notes on their fighting styles."

"What, do you want to learn the ways of the scythe too? I'm sure Ruby would love another scythe buddy."

"No. Scythes are just oversized gardening tools. I'm just studying in case we ever have to duel. And somehow Ruby is being a better leader to her than us at the moment."

Yang smiled, "Was that a joke?"

"N-no. It was not meant to be humorous. It was simply an astute observation."

"Naw, that was a joke. I see you're comfortable enough to make jokes now."

"You would know if it was a joke if I said so. A joke has to follow some principles to-"

"Just take the compliment." Yang had a wry smile at the end of the exchange.

After that, Zinc and Yang had small talk as they watched the two girls go at it with their training.

Amber and Ruby felt as though Amber was getting the hang of this scythe thing. Ruby thought she would make an excellent scythe user, well besides her and her uncle of course. However they weren't done with the scythe training yet, no sir. Their instincts told them they could do this all day if they had to, see who was better at the end of this. Still a bit of hostile thoughts on their ends, but it wasn't as hostile as their other thoughts.

Ruby and Amber simply smirked at one another, both of them didn't realize that their Auras were flaring up. Nor did either of them realize that small streams of power were somewhat seeping out of their eyes. It was too miniscule to see, but it was definitely there. It was as if the powers themselves wanted to show off against one another.

The Silver Eyed Warrior and The Maiden, two foils of one another. Meant to keep each other in check if one decides to go on a rampage. One was always destined to fight and the other was always destined to stay in hiding and keep balance in the world through the shadows. Two natural counter balances to one another. But together, they'd be unstoppable.

…..

Ozpin merely chuckled as he just remembered that he forgot to tell Mr. Bubbles of a possible challenge. Well two really, but they would probably count as one. This would be a chance for students grow and learn from combat with their superiors.

Velvet was simple as she's an excellent student and had challenged Glynda before. Glynda somewhat did it without difficulty and she was apparently going 'easy' on her. That was in her first year. She challenged Glynda again, sometime after the school year started. There were tremendous improvements and she proved to be quite capable in their second round. She actually learned from her previous mistakes and managed to get Glynda in the yellow, at least midway yellow, not close enough to red. Glynda actually commended the young woman for her tenacity and her clever use of her camera to actually blind her. Though she would like to have her refrain from using such a dirty trick against other students.

Rideat however, why the heck not. This'll probably prove a lesson in the fact that you can't hope to win against everyone. At least he hoped it did. That little fiasco in the cafeteria did cause some unnecessary scrutiny from the students and the teachers not stopping bullies. The teachers and staff can not be there all the time to stop it, not to mention the fact that they can't bust them before the act, because that would be unnecessary assumption that would break a lot of students trust in them. Though it is the instigators fault, simply solving violence with violence in a school environment- come on, the students are better than that or at least should be.

Honestly, this is more a test to see how Mr. Bubbles does in a fight. Now he knows the man has the 'aura' of someone who's taken life before and wouldn't hesitate to do it again if threatened. As evident from the video of the nightclub incident between him and Ms. Xiao Long. The moment before the cops bursted in, he was about to kill her. Luckily he didn't, but still. He knows that Jack will hold back when dealing with a friendly challenge. If he did kill a student well, that'd simply be the end of him. He just wants to see a fight with his own eyes… monitor, but in real time and not a simple playback.

He took a sip of his hot chocolate, "Still not as bittersweet as a mug of coffee." He really had to somewhat control his temper, but the hot chocolate grew on him a bit.

….

Blake sat a couple of spaces away from the one she believed to be Lapis Anderson. He also happened to be watching the setup for the upcoming fight between RIdeat, Velvet, and the man known as Mr. , she came to learn his actual name to be Jack Wynand as evident from the Aura meters on the projector. Strangely the same last name for the one known as Amber. Perhaps a relation? Miss Goodwitch meanwhile took a serious stance with her arms crossed behind her back, almost ready to oversee and start the match.

The reason why she was watching this fight? She happened to overhear it when walking in the halls past Mr. Bubbles- Mr. Wynand's room. She was not interested in seeing how the two faunus would do against the man. She was interested in how the man known as Jack Wynand fought. She knew the feeling of a man who has killed before. She felt it the first time she saw him and that feeling spiked when he stopped two students with only a wrench and his bare hand. There's definitely something off about him, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

"You got this Rideat!" Lapis shouted towards the blind faunus, which garnered a thumbs up from said faunus.

Rideat felt the presence of Blake, Glynda, Velvet, Lapis, and Jack. He didn't know why the daughter of the Belladonna's was watching, but that didn't matter right now. Right now he needed to test the abilities of this man people call Mr. Bubbles. He could 'feel' the experience of a warrior radiating off his body. This should satisfy his need for a good fight. He hated to admit it, but he was kind of like his brother in that regard. Always looking for a damn good fight.

He readily cracked his knuckles on his organic hand. He took out a stun baton he used in 'non lethal fights' and the bunny beside him did a pose that stretched her limps as she stood on one foot. They were paired together for this fight, hopefully she wasn't a hinderance. He shook his head at the extremely rude thought.

Velvet had her camera on her side and already preparing for a fight. She needed to prepare, she can't underestimate her opponent, like she did the first time with Miss Goodwitch. She did a simple breathing technique preparing herself to use the fighting style of the mountain.

Jack rubbed his shoulders as he simply prepared his wrench. He accepted the two challenges earlier and was ready to spar with the likes of Huntsmen in training. He knew he had to be careful as he severely underestimated the one girl, Yang he believed her name to be.

Glynda opened her eyes, "This is a challenge between the two students Velvet Scarlatina and Rideat Dente versus the security guard Jack Wynand! Mr. Wynand are there any rules you would like to set in place?"

Jack nodded as he stared back at the woman and put a finger up, "One. If you two go into the red you both are done. You are gonna have knock me out or make me yield for me to submit defeat."

Glynda looked as though she hesitantly nodded, "Do the challengers accept? If you can't accept these rules the fight is forfeit."

"Y-yes." Velvet hesitate for a moment.

Rideat clutched his prosthetic hand as hard as he could. It visibly shook before it stopped and he appeared calm.

"Do you accept Mr. Dente?"

Rideat sighed as loudly as he could, "I accept."

Glynda put her arms into the air, "If I deem enough is enough the match shall end. May you all embody the spirits of the noble warriors that challenge one another for sport. You may now begin." She slammed her arms down.

Somehow in a synchronous moment, Rideat and Velvet jumped straight towards the wrench wielding continued head on, while Rideat jumped to the side and tried to ambush the man from behind.

Jack was completely aware of what they were trying to do and simply let it happen. Velvet extended a palm out as she grinded to a halt in front of Jack, to which he simply blocked it with his own would immediately deliver a low kick, which hit him, but didn't leave an obvious bruise. This must be the power of Aura? He was able to get a glimpse at Rideat, who already charged at him with his stun baton at the ready. Now he knows the electric part of the baton won't have an effect on him at all, but he maneuvered out of the way and almost watch the two working together collide.

Rideat merely put his prosthetic hand up and gives a small wave as he began to charge towards Jack once again. He did a lot of jumping around to try and confuse the man. Velvet changed her stance to those of the winds and harsh snow. She also suddenly gained a boost in speed after the stance change and decided to jump around as well.

Jack was all to familiar with this combat style of jumping around. He patiently waited for the two to charge at him. He dodged a kick from Rideat and hit him over the head with his wrench, before pushing him to the side. Velvet was a bit more dodgy as she jumped right in front of him and ducked under his swing, she did a small hop and kicked him away from her. This caused Jack to fall to the ground, but he quickly recovered.

A flash of crazed killers out to get him occured in Jack's mind for a moment, before he quickly shook the thought out. He dodged a strike from Rideats baton, it was a simple side step, but he whacked him with his wrench and pushed him farther away. He was more focused on the one who could dodge.

Rideat had a crazed smile as he felt his Aura quickly being drained by the hard hitting wrench man. He let out a chuckle as he now decided was the time to get serious. He didn't want to immediately lose after all. With a stomp on the ground he decided to 'watch' the duo that was having a dodgy dance. Honestly, he was surprised that someone could hit hard and dodge at the same time. The more he observed Jack's fighting style, the more he could find ways to counter it.

He knew Mr. Bubbles was a reactionary fighter, so he's got to change his approach.

He took a 'glance' at Lapis, who happened to be cheering his name on. At least someone is on his side, it may have even gave him enough courage to quickly defeat Mr. Bubbles.

Velvet and Jack tried their best to not get hit by one another. Her moves consisted of forward palm strikes, to which Jack would back off a bit and suddenly try to take a swing at her. This method was meant to tire one of them out, but not at the immediate moment. It was like they both had energy to spare. Suddenly the pace shifted as Jack landed a blow on her kneecaps, causing the girl to stumble back a bit and lay down a leg.

Jack waited patiently for her to recover, he wasn't trying to kill her after all.

Velvet took this moment to recover quickly as her Aura protected her. She actually felt her Aura drain as the strike hit her. She know knew that Mr. Bubbles was a hard hitter.

Velvet immediately rushed towards the man once again, causing him to go on the defensive, but this was clearly a mistake made on his part as Velvet pulled out her camera and allowed the flash to do all the work for her.

Jack covered his eyes, he know knew what it felt like when he did that to his adversaries. It was a smart move.

His eyes recovered just in time to see Velvet had clapped her hands together and just finished doing a quick form of meditation. She opened her eyes and brought her palms forward onto Jack's belly.

"Dai!"

She suddenly grabbed his sweater and pulled.

"Setsu!"

She yanked Jack to the side with all the force she could muster.

"Zan!"

She then did it a couple of more times causing the man to lose balance and literally have his feet lifted up into the air, with Velvet tightly holding on to him and spinning to one side.

"O!"

She spun to the otherside gaining moment.

"RO!"

She continued to spin Jack around as if he was just a child spinning with a parent. With each swing the momentum of the two continued to build up. If they went any faster they probably could cause a tornado. That suddenly stopped as Velvet planted her feet and threw Jack into the air!

"SHIIIIIIIIIIII!"

Rideat knew that now was the perfect time. As soon as he saw Mr. Bubbles fall back down he was already making his way and jumping towards the man. He aligned his decent back down and Jack's quick fall. He pumped his legs together and kicked the man in the back as hard as he could.

Jack felt his Aura break and the kick going straight into his back,he was quickly flung towards a wall. He didn't notice the small doll of Amber he kept flying out of a keychain wrapped around his belt. The ground caused more of his bones to cause some crunching noises, but luckily there wasn't blood splattered all over the ground.

"Mr. Wynand is now out of Aura."

Rideat crossed his arms and smirked. He knew that the security guard would get serious after that.

Velvet stood in place and hesitated. She didn't expect for her fellow student to suddenly and violently kick the man after she threw him into the air. This was supposed to be a friendly challenge, Mr. Bubbles even let them recover after he made them fall towards the ground. His aura was already in the red when she threw him.

She honestly couldn't believe the student right next to her was smirking at what he's done.

Jack slowly got up in the flooded halls. His eyes stared down at a pair of splicers that managed to get the better of him. They thought they had it all figured out, but he had more of a reason to survive than these crazed maniacs. He didn't like the way they laughed at him for being so weak. If anything he's the stronger man for not going insane the moment he came to this place.

He was prepared to charge straight at the two and end them as quickly as possible. It didn't matter how easily they dodged his attacks, they can't suddenly ward off the sudden appearance of flames on their bodies. He would whack them the moment they started to scream in pain.

That thought process came to a grinding halt as he saw a lone doll of a girl. It looked out of place for this sunken hell. Its colors were too bright and didn't look worn out at all. He shook his head and he was suddenly transported back to his fight with Rideat and Velvet.

Rideat was raring to go, while Velvet looked worried.

He had to finish this.

"I yield." Jack raised his hand and wrench into the air.

This was done much to the surprise of the room's other occupants.

"Mr. Wynand yields. Velvet and Rideat are the victors."

No one said anything as Jack quickly gathered the doll he hung on to and walked off without saying another word.

"You may are now free to do whatever you want." Glynda said as she went back to work with her scroll.

Blake sighed as she wasn't going to get a chance to see how Mr. Bubbles actually fought today. A slight disappointment, but rules are rules. She quickly made her escape without alerting anyone.

Lapis wasn't sure what to feel. It was an amazing fight sure, but he didn't expect Mr. Bubbles to quickly yield like that.

"Okay." Rideat loosened his stance his tone showed a slight hint of disappointment of the outcome. He was expecting a true fight. He turned towards Velvet, "I guess we're the winners. Good job ou-"

Rideat found himself on the receiving end of a slap by the bunny. He felt his Aura completely deplete from that slap.

"What was that for?" He was ready to hear an explanation from the bunny girl.

"How could you do that… to Mr. Bubbles." He didn't expect a somber and downtrodden tone of voice from the girl.

"He should've known what to expect when he accepted the challenge." It was a simple truth to Rideat. There was still disappointment in his voice.

Velvet breathed in and widened her eyes, "This was not a duel to the death!" Her voice slightly rose as she spat the words through her teeth.

"I know. That's why I didn't use my prosthetic arm."

"What was your end goal?" Her voice lowered.

"To get a good fight in. Anyone else would've stopped at the moment their Aura was depleted."

Velvet slowly felt as though she was connecting the pieces together, "So you only wished to fight for the sake of fighting? What for?"

"To one day put down my brother and put an end to his reign of terror. Maybe I can stop the White Fang while I'm at it. That's why I'm here training to be one of the best Huntsmen."

He expected her to gasp at the prospect and ask questions about his brother and why he hates him so. He didn't expect her to get angry at the prospect.

"If you're only doing this to hurt others, then you don't deserve to be a Huntsman."

"You're foolish if you believe we'll only be fighting Grimm! Eliminating threats to peace can apply to faunus and humans too!"

"It's that cycle of hatred that causes violence to occur against other people!"

Rideat stepped back as the bunny finally yelled. Those were the exact words his adoptive father had told him.

"To be a true warrior you must have something to fight for and protect. If you only wish to cause harm unto others, then the spirits of the warriors shall never encompass you." Velvet calmed down and lowered her voice. She was more disappointed in Rideat rather than angry at him after all. She left without saying a word, much to the protest of Rideat.

Rideat wanted to deny her claims and only call her a foolish optimist. That wasn't how the real world worked as far as he knows. Deep down however, she knew she had to be right if he didn't yell and try to disprove her claim. Deep down he knew that his adoptive father would probably be disappointed in him. However, he was currently blind to those feelings.

On the outside he knew he had to make things right with his fellow student. He didn't know how, but he had to apologize to her in a way.

Unfortunately for Rideat, it wasn't going to be a simple band-aid apology. He needed to learn what her words exactly meant. Defeating his brother and defeating the White Fang was a simple step towards peace, right? So why was it so doubtful?

…

 **So after a short hiatus I am somewhat back with a new chapter. Hope it was satisfactory and worth your time. I will see you next time and hopefully not leave for months on end.**

 **(I say before never updating ever again. ;D)**


	15. Chapter 15

"I would usually wish to never speak about Ozpin, ever. But the world can be an entirely cruel mistress. Everywhere I went on the surface it was always Ozpin this and Ozpin that. Whenever Ozpin was mentioned, his lap dogs would drool all over him. His influence spread far and wide, they looked up to him as some kind of messiah. If only they knew the truth. He says that the academies are to train warriors to protect the people, a lie that he kept through the generations. No, he's training the next generation of tools he can use in his pointless never ending war. Ozpin is a pathetic man who can't even finish what he started."

….

Ozpin once again looked over Jack's files. He's done this for a couple of weeks now, it all looked fine and dandy, but something always bothered him about the papers. The clocktower behind him struck twelve, just in time for a certain Qrow to come from the elevator.

"Checking his papers' again?"

"Yes, I always want to remember everything I know about our employees." Ozpin kept shuffling through the paper files, trying to find the thing that just felt off.

"Do you expect them to be forgeries?"

"No, I collected the data from the official census and expanded from there."

Qrow took a seat across from Ozpin, his legs kicked up on the desk as he took out a flask, "I don't think you'll find much data on a farm boy."

"I know, that disturbs me."

Qrow rolled his eyes as he took a swig, "You could just ask his parents."

Ozpin sighed, "I can't they're both dead. From the police files on their case it looked as though it was either a double suicide or they both happened to kill each other at the same time. From what I could estimate it probably wasn't long after Jack left the farm and wandered off to who knows where."

"Any possible reason why?" Qrow was a bit intrigued at the revelation.

"No, there was a lack of notes and evidence that points to anything specific and the fact that they mostly spent their lives in isolation."

Qrow just sighed and silently watched the older man shuffle through the papers he had on Jack. It's just something that Ozpin always does. He knows that Oz just wants to be careful and have a lot of contingency plans. The less info he had on someone, the more he tried to find even the slightest hint. It could be anything, a bar tab, a receipt at a gas station, even just a bug that they happened to look at.

"So, you gonna tell him about the… you know?"

Ozpin sighed and placed Jack's paper's down, "Unfortunately, no. I don't have enough information to trust him entirely. While he does know of the Maidens' power, that's all the information I'm willing to give to him. He has to prove himself before he's earned the right to know. Much like you proved yourself all those years ago."

Qrow took another swig, "Ah, right. I forgot." He waved his arms in the air, "Whole chessmaster thing. Always thinking a million steps ahead."

"I'm glad you understand." Ozpin simply went back to perusing through Jack's papers', "When do you think you'll visit your nieces."

Qrow shrugged, "Sometime. Maybe I'll swing by in Glynda's class and piss her off." He took another swig from his flask.

"Remember that it doesn't hurt to visit your loved ones often. You don't know if it'll be the last time you see them. Especially the children that you've known and seen grow-"

Qrow looked perplex at the fact that Ozpin stopped one of his own-monologues? Speeches? Words of wisdom or whatever? His feet went off the desk and touched the ground.

"Qrow. What was Mr. Wynand's previous occupation? I think Amber said it, but I want to be entirely sure."

Qrow raised a brow, "Apparently he owned an orphanage for a while."

Ozpin sighed and fell into his own chair, "It's always the simplest things we miss. Even I'm not entirely immune to this." Ozpin reached for his scroll, "I'm going to make a few calls, if you don't mind?"

"Way ahead of ya." As soon as Ozpin picked up his scroll, Qrow got out of his chair and walked towards the elevator. He lazily waved towards the older man and entered the elevator. He took a small swig from his flask as the elevator descended.

As soon as the doors opened he was greeted with the humble face of Glynda Goodwitch, "Mr. Branwen."

"Glynda." Qrow replied as he stepped out of the elevator, but he stopped Glynda from entering, "He's making a few calls."

Glynda sighed and took a few steps back, "Of course he is."

A small silence occured between the two as Glynda had the intention of waiting for a couple of minutes to speak to Ozpin and Qrow just wanted to go on his way. He could've easily done it the moment he told Glynda about Ozpin's calls, but he just wanted to make Glynda bit more uncomfortable.

"So. When's your next date?"

Glynda crossed her arms, "Why would I indulge that information with you?"

Qrow smiled mischievously, "So it's pretty soon based off your reaction. You afraid I'll come and rain on your parade?"

Glynda didn't say a word. She could only glare daggers at the heavy drinking Huntsman.

"Don't worry, I'm not that much of a bastard to do that."

"I do not have to say what I do in my private time with you."

Qrow simply laughed and decided to make his exit, "Lighten up, Glynda," he suddenly grasped her shoulder lightly, "Enjoy your time with him. Everyone deserves to have someone they love, no matter what anyone else says." Qrow passed on right by.

Glynda's eyes widened in surprise and she turned around, only to be greeted by a black feather falling to the ground and a cracked open window. She'll probably never admit it, but she'll probably take the drunk man's words to heart… probably.

"You were surprisingly mature for once, Qrow."

….

Tenenbaum shook her head at another failure. This had to be the fifth Faunus that had died under her new 'employers'. This was the cost of living experimentation, it was never supposed to be and with new thoughts comes new experiments. Not to mention she was a little rusty from her refusal to do this kind of work once again.

She looked towards Fidelis as her unwitting 'helpers' cleaned another one of her failed experiments off the patient bed. Her patients were simply those who tried to defect from the White Fang and this was their due punishment. Non of the White Fang in the room with her showed any remorse for the traitors that died. Instead they were impatient to the fact that her experiments weren't showing results. Fidelis simply shook his head, his mask obstructing any emotions he may have had.

"Brigid. I know you can do better than this." Fidelis said through his modulated voice, it sounded more disappointed than angry.

"I've stopped doing this a long time ago." It was an honest truth, she did stop doing this a long time ago.

She was surprised to feel Fidelis grab her shoulders and straighten her up a bit, it was a rough, yet gentle pull. It was in no way full dominate control, yet, "It's all up in your head. The years of practice you've done to perfect your technique."

Tenenbaum clicked her tongue, "I thought you disagreed with experimentation?"

"I do, but the boss doesn't. I look out for my buddy, probably something you can't easily do."

Tenenbaum had to hold her tongue as she didn't want to reveal of the man she basically looked out for during her last few days in hell, "You probably are doing this for your own gain. You're just using your 'friend Adam as an excuse. What really defines friendship, if it even truly exists." She needed to throw him off, perhaps cause him to doubt a little bit. An argument between the two can last hours and days if she can do this right.

"Hmph!" He grunted in..approval?

She frowned, just what was he up to under that mask.

"That's the old Tenenbaum I knew. She always tried her best to mercicly bring you into the brink of despair and then experiment on you, knowing you had nothing to live for when you started to question yourself. We need that side back, back to experiment."

Tenenbaum gasped, she did not expect him to approve of her words and try to revert her back to her cold and ruthless self.

Fidelis chuckled and shook his head, "Just kidding. We just need you to experiment. I like the new you. Now you understand what it looks like from a normal person's point of view what your experiments truly cause."

Tenenbaum narrowed her eyes at the man, the one known as the White Mask, a ruthless man with a high bounty.

Fidelis clapped his hands together, "Okay your next experiment better work, or we're going to collect the bounty Atlas has on you."

She didn't need any other words, so she simply went to work on the next project. Going to Atlas would undoubtedly be worse. Not only would they probably try and get her back in the field of genetic experimentation (like she was doing right now), they would probably check her blood on a daily basis to see if she had poisoned herself, or prevent her from doing anything outside a lab period. They'd probably want specific genetic changes as well. Ironically she was given more freedom with the White Fang as they just wanted results, nothing specific.

Her situation was beyond the point of no return.

"I'll be the next test subject, so get me something good." Fidelis suddenly said.

She better make something minor, like improved vision, or stronger finger muscles.

…..

Lapis and Amber stood in a weapons shop. Lapis was simply looking for rounds to put in his gauntlets and rifle. Amber meanwhile was simply just browsing with a smile on her face. It felt good to be out and about in the city. Though she didn't travel as much as she used to, going to places was always a fun experience.

She examined the revolver that the shopkeeper gave to her, as per her request. It was a simple six shot revolver, nothing special. The grip felt nice and there was even an optional speed loader. She thought of getting an offhand weapon beforehand, so why not get it now?

"If you'd like miss, I'd could get you two holsters and a secondary revolver."

"What for?" It was not unusual for Huntsmen to carry two weapons or more, but usually they were content with having their weapons be a one of everything.

The old shopkeeper chuckled, "It'd be like those old movies. You find yourself surrounded by Grimm at the tip of highnoon, all would be silent until the exact time of noon. You then pull out both your revolvers and go wild, killing all the Grimm in a second or so."

Amber chuckled sheepishly, "I wouldn't rely on old movies."

Lapis brought some rounds to the counter and placed what he assumed to be the correct amount of Lien on it.

"That'll be 78 Lien, you gave me 80, so here's your change."

The transaction went by really quick, as the old man had been doing this for many years now. Though Lapis obviously wasn't done as he reached into his pocket for something and presented it to the old man. It was a small circular symbol with a wooden wheel and a diving helmet on the wheel. The old man's eyes flashed as he immediately recognized the symbol.

"You're Mr. Gum, correct?"

"I haven't seen that symbol in a long long time. Where did you get that?"

Amber tilted her head in curiosity as she watched the scene unfold right before her.

"It was my uncle's, Johnny Topside, do you remember him?"

The old man sighed and nodded, "So you're Lapis, he always talked about you, you know?"

Lapis shook his head as his eyes lit up, "What exactly happened to him? Do you know where he is?"

Mr. Gum shook his head, "I'm afraid not. You should know that I was the one to send him on that ship. If I wasn't sick, then it would be me who would be long gone."

Lapis shook his head, "There's no need to blame yourself. My uncle loved to go on these trips. I've made peace with it a long time ago. However, unless I see a body I'm not going to stop searching."

"I admire your compassion young man, reminds me of my older days." The old man motioned for Lapis to come go behind the counter. He complied as he was led to the back.

"You can wait for me if you want to."

Amber nodded as she had no intention of leaving until his business was done. It was getting late and she didn't want to think of the possibility of him missing a flight back to Beacon. She placed the weapon back on the counter. It took longer than expected as she noted that it had been more than ten minutes, however long it takes she shall wait. There was no need to rush.

A sudden sob came to her ears. It was faint, but it was still there. She walked out of the door and tried to pinpoint the source of the crying. Her sense of hearing led her to a small alleyway. A dead end one at that, she looked everywhere else to ensure that there wasn't any thugs trying to jump her. Just to be safe she equipped her staff, yet kept it collapsed.

The source came from the side of the dumpster. She turned around the dumpster's corner to see a crying girl. Her legs covered her face as she curled them together.

"Are you okay?" Amber hesitated, but it was the right thing to do wasn't it?

"I lost my mommy!" The girl continued to cry.

"Where did you lose her?" Amber smiled at the poor child to ease her worries.

It worked as the girl sniffled a little slower, "At the market."

Amber kneeled down and offered her hand, "Well maybe she's also looking for you? Why don't we go look for her together?"

"O-okay." The child grabbed her hand and the two would find themselves searching for a mother looking for her child.

Amber would never like to admit it to anyone, but she felt a bit envious at the prospect. It was a horrible thought process that needed to be eliminated immediately, lest she fall into the greed and envy many many tales warned of.

Meanwhile back at the shop Lapis waved goodbye to Mr. Gum as he held a bundle of maps in his arms, "Thank you so much Mr. Gum. These maps will come in handy."

"It's no problem, young man, I hope to be of more service to you in the future."

Lapis smiled as he made his way back to Beacon. He assumed Amber went back or just someplace. It didn't matter as he had a lot of studying of maps to do to figure out possible locations of interest. Now he doesn't know much about map predictions, but math class should've helped with the probability of how things may have went, right?

…..

"OZPIN!" General Ironwood suddenly popped up on a holo-monitor.

"Yes, James? Is it really necessary to shout like that?" Whenever he shouted it was probably something exciting.

"I have to inform you that Atlas has decided to send a small detachment of soldiers to Vale and have secured quarters preferably in Beacon."

Ozpin raised a brow, "Why are they doing this? Has something come up? Why haven't I been informed of this first?"

"Our little 'project' has her priority set to level 6, which means that it'll head immediately to the top brass, even above me."

"What happened?" He needed to know what the hell could've been a level 6 priority.

"She had reason to believe that Brigid Tenenbaum is in the custody of the White Fang. So does the brass. If they have her, who knows what secrets she'll spill and what experiments she'll do? Her experiments could be even more dangerous and powerful as ever before. We must get her back!"

"Yet, they only sent a small detachment?"

"The best of the best for a level 6 priority. Specialist Schnee will be on the mission, leading of course."

Ozpin shook his head, he really didn't need more to add to his plate. The White Fang's forces were in Vale, the Queen's forces were in Vale, Roman Torchwick was in Vale, he was investigating his employee, Qrow is still Qrow, now he had to deal with Atlesian soldiers in his school looking for a rogue scientist in Vale!

What else wanted to appear in Vale? Everything by the looks of it. He sighed once again and took a long gulp of his Coffee.

…..

 **That's it for now. I think I'll skip a bit more in time for the next chapter. I need to get back in the groove of writing as I've been skimping on it for a while now. I think I'll make a one shot or a couple just to get back on my writing.**

 **Bye for now, and let's hope I can pick up on my goddamned writing.**


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